How can I feel better about revision?

Hi, I am @holstudies, a study blogger on Instagram! This post is all about how to plan your revision and feel better while doing it! I hope it helps and makes you feel better about the revision strategies you use in the future. Whether it is for real exams or mocks– there will be something for everyone.

Revising can be deflating task, but it can also be rewarding and enjoyable. When I first started to revise, it was messy, unorganised, and I had no time management. I felt unrewarded and tired all the time. So, I started asking myself what I could do to make revision better and how I could organise my time and be a lot more productive and hopefully start to see a change in my assessment scores, and exams.

The answer was… PLAN!

Okay, so how should I plan my revision?

When I started to plan, I used quite a few different resources: I made some on word, and even drew my own. There were many study plans that I used, until I found one that suited me best! Planning my revision was essential, as I was about to sit my GCSEs and had to stick to a strict plan. I am going to talk about the different ways I planned for my GCSE exams, and even my A level mocks.

Is a planner useful?

At first, my main way of planning was with a planner (from Poundland). I wrote my main tasks for each day, and how long I wanted to spend on each one. For example, on a Tuesday my main task was to do English Language revision for an hour, so I put it in my planner under Tuesday, so I knew when I wanted it complete.

Although this was a good idea when I first started my revision (around Year 10), It didn’t help me with my time management– but it did help me with my organisation! I did complete the task however it would take me longer than an hour to do, so I didn’t get anything else done. For me, though it felt good highlighting one task to show it was done, I felt guilty for not doing anything else.

If your time management is good, and you just want to stay organised – planners are great! Especially for smaller tasks, for example, flash cards or mindmaps, compared to mock questions or essays.

Photo credit: @holstudies

It made me feel better that I got some tasks done, and made me feel a little bit better about my revision. And, for me, that was an improvement from being unorganised. However, I didn’t feel fully happy because I didn’t complete everything I wanted to.

What about a revision timetable?

The ONLY planning which helped me with time management was revision timetables! I still use timetables to plan my work, social life, and other events. For me, they are great! I have fluttered between making my own by hand, or using excel to make them. Excel usually works better as it looks neater.

For my revision timetables, I did them weekly. I didn’t force myself to work for hours on end; I allowed myself hour breaks in between work, and it made me feel much better! It also had a great impact on my grades!

I had a colour scheme for each subject. Yellow for English, Red for Maths, Blue for French etc. and each time I completed my task I would highlight the subject its assigned colour. My aim was to do the work, but make the timetable complete with colour. The only things that weren’t coloured were my breaks, and non-related revision tasks.

Photo credit: @holstudies

Because I wanted to gain the feeling of being content with a completed timetable, that I could visually see in front of me, I strived to fit all my revision, or just school work, in the time I allocated to it. This helped both my time management and my revision management.

Even if you don’t struggle with time management, making a revision timetable keeps everything organised and it can work around your other plans- which you can also include on your timetable. Everything is in one place, not in a book, not on scrap paper, but on an organised sheet that can go on your wall, and be saved on your computer (or any device) for you to go back to.

If you have unexpected plans or miss a revision night due to something- even if you just forgot- there can be a feeling of guilt from not doing it. That’s where a handy app comes into favour! Timetables make revision better, but Adapt helps that bit more!

What is Adapt, and how does it help you manage your time and revision?

Adapt is a FREE app which provides you a personalised, exam specific timetable, where you can input the days and times you can, or can’t study. You can select weekdays, weekends, everyday, or even set custom days that you revise on! And, it is all added on to a calendar that you can customise! Did I mention that it is FREE!?

Not only can you add revision to your calendar, but any other task or event that you are doing during that time! Plus, you can delete and prioritise them too and to help you remember, you can set reminders to notify you when to do a certain task – all for FREE!

There is more… Adapt also lets you search for opportunities that may interest you. For example, open days apprenticeships and volunteering. They are just some of the things Adapt offer! Along side all of this, you can even track your progress in your subjects! Doesn’t that sound great?

By using Adapt you can feel better about your revision because it knows all your exam dates, the topics you cover, and creates your perfect revision timetable. Oh, and don’t worry, if you miss a topic it will reschedule it for you! So, you are getting everything done without guilt, stress or many hours of planning!

Head over to their Instagram @adaptapp to find out more information- and thank you for reading!

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Cover photo by @marthasjournal