The Secret Sauce to Success!
Follow these simple 10 tips to help you manage stress.
It’s normal to be anxious around exam time but being in the right mindset can help decrease the stress and keep you focused on studying. Here are a ten tips to help you take control.
By Juliana Pereira, Chief of Campus Life at IE University
- 1. Space it out
Don’t try to learn everything at once. A technique called “spaced repetition” involves breaking up information into small chunks and reviewing them consistently over a long period of time.
- 2. Once upon a time…
Make the information more meaningful by turning the details into a story.
- 3. Move around
Studying the same stuff in a different place every day makes us less likely to forget that information. Every time we move (from library to cafeteria for example), we form new associations with the same material.
- 4. Write it Down
Research shows we store information better when we write it by hand, so try recopying the most important notes from the semester onto a new sheet of paper.
- 5. Say it Loud, Say it Clear
Reading information out loud means mentally storing it in two ways: seeing it and hearing it.
- 6. Turn off Distractions
This includes phone calls, texts, emails, and social media altogether (Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, Skype, Viber, etc.)
- 7. Say Om
Meditation can reduce anxiety, boost attention span, and calm pre-test jitters.
- 8. Play Music
Give those study notes a soundtrack! Classical music in particular has been shown to reduce anxiety.
- 9. Power OFF
Shutting down your computer at the end of the day will ensure your work is saved and keep you from feeling like you are in eternal work mode.
- 10. Sleep Tight but Just before…
During sleep, the brain strengthens newly created memories, so study for a few minutes before bedtime.
We’re all different, so experiment to find what’s most effective for you, and then stick with it!
