8 Easy Steps to Declutter Your Mind & Improve Your Focus!
1. Get organised:
Organise your subjects. Have all the materials you need ready and accessible. Don’t lose time looking for your red pen or new copy book – it will frustrate you and by the time you are all set to get going you’ve lost half an hour and are now in a bad mood!! Develop a system that works for you, so that you can find what you need when you need it!
2. Plan Your Time:
things can take longer than you think – plan in breaks. Use wall charts to map out your study & homework timetables!
3. Create the Right Study Environment:
A tidy environment will ease your mind. Avoid background ‘noise’ that will add to your anxiety. If listening to music helps you, make sure it is easy listening and not high intensity! Also very important to your study environment that you attend classes! Avoid the temptation as exams loom to skip classes in favour of study. If you already have poor study technique, this will only reinforce it and add to feelings of isolation.
4. Get Clever with Your Study:
Are you familiar with exam paper layouts and marking schemes? Get practising! You can download exam marking systems from
www.examinations.ie or buy them in your school supply shop. If you haven’t got them already, don’t delay, get them today. As your revision work, look over past exam papers and answer questions or subject areas covered in class, time yourself and correct your answers.
5. Stay Connected
Whether it be through ensuring that your breaks are spent talking to friends online or watching a movie with your family, make sure you stay connected with the people around you. one of the worst things you can do at stressful times is to withdraw yourself from the people who will calm your nerves.
6. Take Regular Guilt-Free Breaks:
Leave the books at home when you are ‘off’. Understand that defined and concentrated times for studying are far more beneficial constant stress and fretting about study. You will feel far better having separated study time from relaxation time.
7. Nourish yourself
Eat a balanced Diet. Get your 5 a Day, avoid fatty foods, and excessive amounts of sweets, chocolate, and fizzy drinks. Always have Breakfast. Make sure you are getting your 8 hours. Take a Fish Oil Supplement to help improve concentration or multi-vitamin to boost your immune system.
8. Monitor caffeine and alcohol intake
No more than 2 of coffee/tea cups per day. Caffeine makes you jittery! Drink lots of
Water – minimum 4 glasses per day. Take regular
Exercise & Relaxation – Exam Buster is a great Stress Reliever!
Limit Nicotine & Alcohol – Official Energy Thieves. Ideally cut them out. They reduce your performance, concentration and memory. If you can’t cut them out, cut them down. Try switching from pints to bottles, drink water after each alcoholic drink and limit yourself to no more than three alcohol drinks in one evening - no more than once a week. Avoid spirits!
