The SECRET to effective study during the school holidays

It’s the school holidays. All you want to do is relax, hang out with your friends, and catch up on some much needed sleep. Whilst it’s important to take a break, the school holidays are also a vital time (especially for HSC students) to catch up, revise and even get ahead in your school work! You might be thinking… ‘how do I study effectively?’ and ‘do I have to study the WHOLE holidays!?’. We’ve compiled our best tips and tricks to answer your questions and help YOU make the most out of your holiday study!

1.     Set REALISTIC goals

It’s important to set realistic goals of what you need to get done by the end of the holidays. If you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve, it’s likely that you won’t achieve it! Plan out what work needs to be done by the end of each week, and make a list of what needs to get done each day. By breaking your goals down, they seem more achievable and they’re more likely to get done.

2.     Study in the morning

It’s inevitable that you want to spend your holidays actually doing stuff… that is, stuff that’s more fun than studying. That’s why I like to study first thing in the morning, leaving the rest of my day free to do whatever I like! In the morning, your focus is likely to be better than after a full day of doing stuff, and your brain is also refreshed and alert after a good night’s sleep. But it’s ok if studying in the morning doesn’t work for you – just make sure you pick a ‘study time’ and stick to it!

3.     Work in 2-3 hour blocks

Have you ever sat at your desk ‘studying’ for the whole day and noticed that you got hardly any work done? If you think back to it, I’m sure you were ‘studying’ whilst also checking your phone every 10 seconds, sending snapchats to your friends, and bantering on the group chat. We’ve all been guilty of this at some point. That’s why short bursts of studying are much more effective than long study sessions. We recommend working in 2-3 hour blocks that are strictly dedicated to study. It may be helpful to leave your phone in a different room to lessen any distractions.

4.     Take time to relax and recharge

Last but not least, set aside time to RELAX! The holidays are called HOLIDAYS for a reason. Enjoy your break and try to achieve a balanced approach to studying and some down time. Once you’ve finished your allocated study for the day, go hang out with friends, do some exercise, and do what makes you happy! This is particularly important for any year 12 students: this is your last “stress-free” holiday – so make the most of it!