How Not To Revise

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It seems like there is a lot of emphasis to do well at college or university these days, with young people being pressurised into deciding what they want to do with their lives at such an early age. I once had a science teacher who told me that I should be mature enough at 16 to know what career path I want to follow and how to achieve it, which I totally don't agree with. Everyone will know what it's like to be a teenager, you want to be enjoying your youth while it lasts, hanging out with friends, playing sports and having fun, making the most of enjoying the moment rather than having to constantly worry about the future.

Obviously exams can be important and you should try your best to put in the maximum effort to be successful and achieve the best outcome possible, like everything else in life, but try not to let a piece of paper with a few letters on it define who you are as a person or consume you to the point of unhappiness and stress. In my opinion exams are mostly just a measure of how much information you can retain and regurgitate rather than defining your ability, intelligence or self worth as a person. The wonderful thing about humans is that there are so many different ways of showing your uniqueness, if you're not very good at one thing then you're bound to be good at something else, you just have to find your 'thing'. For example, some people can be incredibly talented and creative in the form of art, amazing communicators in the form of speech or writing or intelligent in school.

Everybody uses different methods to revise and considering that there are sooo many options and you are probably bored to death of being told how to revise by now, I thought it might be a lot easier and much more fun to read if we change it up a bit and do a few tips on 'How not to revise' instead, which was actually inspired by Rebekah's 'How not to sleep' post which I laughed all the way through reading and you should totally check out!

1. Leave everything until the night before

Who doesn't love leaving everything until the last minute and getting completely stressed out trying to pack six months worth of work into the space of one evening. This option is perfect for those people that like to throw things across the room, hopelessly groan a lot and bang their heads against a desk. Why wake up feeling refreshed, prepared and focused in the morning when you can just pull an 'all nighter' and turn up to the exam looking and feeling like you're some kind of zombie. Who needs sleep when you have coffee anyway?

2. Magic

Actually reading the textbook and making revision notes tends to be a bit overrated these days, so when everything else fails, why not turn to magic to help you out? 'How can magic possibly help me to pass my exams?' I hear you say. Just pop your favourite textbook under your pillow the night before an exam and hope that all of the information magically gets absorbed into your brain. A bit poor on the comfort side of things but guaranteed to work. Promise.

3. Worry. Panic. Ahhhh.

Worrying always seems to make everything so much better and less stressful. You're probably going to fail anyway so what's the point of even making an effort to pass, plus if you fail your life is pretty much over. Obviously the hardest possible questions are going to come up on the paper, none of which you are going to know the answer to. All 9 of your emergency back-up pens are going to mysteriously stop working and you are going to end up with the dreaded wonky desk. Good luck!

4. Organisation? Nope.

How are you supposed to concentrate on all that revision without finding a noisy, dark and uncomfortable place packed full of distractions to study. Be sure to strategically sprawl clutter and revision notes everywhere, this makes revision a lot more fun and time consuming, especially when you have to hunt for notes that you actually need. Plus that revision guide that you spent loads of money one makes a great coaster for your mug!

5. Netflix

Netflix will probably be your best friend during the revision period, helping you to spend many productive hours catching up on your favourite TV shows and movies, making the lead up to your exams the perfect time to install it. If that doesn't float your boat, you could always turn to watching funny or cute animal videos on YouTube, because nothing says revision like a tiny hamster eating a tiny pizza. Also, you can't revise on an empty stomach so don't forget to take regular tea and snack breaks. Fill the fridge to the brim with the most unhealthy and fatty foods possible to fuel your addiction and for maximum effect I would recommend taking one every 10-15 minutes to drown your sorrows in delicious food. Healthy brain food is for losers. Netflix + Pizza = life.

(Note: If you would actually like to pass your exams, just pretty much do the opposite of everything above)

I am a quote person, I use them a lot for motivation and hopefully to inspire others, so I'll leave you with another one of my favourites:

'To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. Believing in yourself can be hard, especially when no one else believes in you, just be proud of who you are and believe that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.'