Making revision more bearable and successful

This post may not apply to everyone, but I thought because most of my time at the moment is spent revising, why not post about how I make revision more bearable and successful? In order to get maximum revision time and frequent breaks, I think the best thing is to wake up relatively early. Because it's a Sunday, I woke up slightly later than I would in the week and started my day at nine. This way, you don't have to work solidly all day, dying of a heavy workload. Then, I like to make sure I have a filling breakfast that will keep me going for the entire morning. For this, I always have some form of porridge because I can go for hours until I have to eat again. Today, I had quinoa porridge with flaked almonds, raisins, grapes, cinnamon, chia seeds and raspberries. If you'd like the recipe, let me know because it is so delicious! I also had specially selected green tea. You can buy this in Aldi, it's super cheap and a really good alternative to normal tea because it's loaded with antioxidants that help your brain function. In other words, it is perfect to have before revision. 

The third thing I do is have a shower or wash my face. You'd be surprised how much more awake and better you feel after cleansing yourself. Being awake is the most important thing when paying attention to the pages and pages of notes you have to learn. And when you're done, don't get back into your pyjamas! Resist the temptation and wear comfy clothes like joggers or leggings. This may sound  stupid, but being in outdoor clothes brings you back to normality when staying at home constantly. You'll feel more fresh and less like you're in hibernation.

I also like to sit outside (only if it's sunny). Being in the sun with the breeze makes revision so much more enjoyable. It also keeps you away from any distractions inside; staying in you're own little bubble away from everyone and everything else. To accompany this, always stay hydrated with a massive glass of iced water and sip away whenever you feel you might just break down and give up.

If you're like me, snacking is a massive weakness when it comes to controlling what I eat. When you're revising, it's very tempting to sit with a massive bag of sweets or a bar of chocolate and non stop eat, but you're only going to feel worse about the fact you haven't moved all day. You might also have a short energy burst and then become really tired, which you don't want to happen when you have a certain amount of work to finish. Choose a healthy snack which you know will satisfy your needs, yet not leave you craving Dairy Milk. I had half an apple and three rice cakes with Meridian crunchy peanut butter- palm oil free.

Then for lunch, I had a light, Mexican style quinoa salad. Having something that is full of fresh and nutritious ingredients will really benefit when focusing for so long. Keep you're body feeling energised and ready for the long hours ahead.

After lunch, I always try and do some form of exercise and take my brain away from writing for half an hour. Whether it's walking your dog, going on a run, going to the gym or just doing a mini work out in your garden. Don't sit down. Think about anything else, but revision and you'll feel much better when sitting back down for another few hours.

When taking breaks, whatever you do, don't watch TV! You'll get caught up on a current series or a film and not realise how long you've been sat down wasting time. Take short frequent breaks every hour. I like to keep the latest Vogue or Elle magazine next to me, to flick through when the amount of work becomes too much to handle.

Finally, SLEEP. Don't stay up too late, especially the day before your exam. You'll be too tired to function and you won't be ready for any form of exam paper that's about to be put in front of you. Try not to sit on your phone or laptop, you will get carried away when scrolling through and watching things and completely regret it the next morning.

Sorry for the late post, let me know your thoughts.
 Daisy xx