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[vikasarkalgud]

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[PhoenixxFire]

Every hour feels to precious to me but yet when I do work, my focus goes elsewhere for no reason

The reason is the lack of sleep.

Also if you aren’t already then try taking a 5 min break between your subjects - go hug your dog or something like that.

Try making a list of the things you actually have to do this week - not the things you want to do or extra revision, just the things you have to do. Just for the rest of the week cross the unimportant things off your list, just do the essentials and go to sleep. In the long run an extra hour of sleep will be worth far more than an hour spent attempting to study whilst you only do half an hour of work.

If it’s because you can’t focus then you could try going to sleep early and doing work in the morning, you may be able to focus better then.

You’re doing thing the wrong way around - trying to focus more so you can go to bed earlier, going to bed earlier will make it easier to focus the next day.

Also try all the obvious things if you’re not already doing them - put your phone away, go to the library so there aren’t as many distractions, etc.

[beatroot]

When it comes to study schedules, I think there's always that misconception that 'more hours = more information retained and better performance'. However, that is not always the case. If you're studying six hours STRAIGHT after school, you're overwhelming yourself and not giving yourself a proper break. It's great that you go on runs after school (physical exercise is very crucial to keeping a balanced mind) but studying for six hours straight afterwards is not ideal. Especially if you go up until 11:30pm every night. You need to eat dinner and get a good night's sleep.

When I studied for my HSC, I would usually study for three subjects max after school and same on the weekends. Sometimes I would reduce it down to two subjects if I felt that I was done for the day. I knew if I studied for all five subjects in one day, I would lose it and lose interest immediately. Plus, let's say, you already had two hours of Maths during school time and had a one hour class for SDD, there really isn't any point in adding so much effort into them after school hours if you already had done them during the day (if you get what I mean)? For each day of the week, nominate subjects you want to study per day depending on your timetable, if you have any extra curricular activities and if you have any tutoring. I usually had two hours of Maths tutoring after school every Tuesday. When I got home, I would not work any more further on Maths because I had already met my quota for the day. Another example is that I didn't have Ancient History on Mondays therefore I would study for Ancient after school to make up for it. It's all about creating balance between your school timetable and your after school activities. During the weekend, I would recommend taking either Saturday or Sunday off because it really does make a HUGE difference. Don't overwhelm yourself by studying all your subjects everyday.

Doing small chunks of study rather than big chunks makes it easier for you to concentrate. Try to study for one subject for 25 minutes then take a five minute break (actually get up from your desk, grab a glass of water, stretch, get something to eat, even go outside if you have time). Then repeat again for 1-2 more subjects. Once you're done with your 2-3 subjects, that's it. Give yourself a break. Take the night off. You should be in bed around 10pm so that you have enough energy for the next day.

Like PF mentioned above, try studying in a different environment. Though studying at your local library doesn't necessarily mean you will get work done. People prefer the white noise at libraries to concentrate. While people prefer to study at home. But when you study, you need to be at an environment that is similar to an exam hall. Avoid listening to music- you will end up distracting yourself. Avoid studying with your friends because at some point you will go off track (unless you're doing group work!). Timing yourself helps as well to get practice for your future exams

It's all about studying smart, not studying hard Good luck!

[Bri MT]

As someone who went to a not competitive school I was thought of these hypothetical people at competitive schools.  In my mind they were just as dedicated and smart (or maybe more so) than me, they had been preparing for year 12 since year 9 (I only learnt what a study score was partway through year 11), they were tutored and taught by examiners (I received no tutoring), and they studied all the time. In short, I made myself stressed about what would only be a minuscule  segment of the population. (I ended up getting 98+ anyway)

This is basically what you're doing when you compare yourself to these "other toppers"

Don't do that to yourself.  I can tell you,  these people (assuming they exist) are wayyy less than 2% of the population.  2% is 1 in 50. You think if you distributed these students equally half of the classes would have them?  No way.


Secondly - there is NO reason for you to experience study guilt about sleep.  Getting the sleep will be better for you (and your academics) than wasting that time on studying.  NEVER in year 12 did I give myself as little sleep as you are regularly experiencing. I have a friend who went to the top-ranked Victorian school and got 98+, I can tell you as a fact that they didn't study at all on Fridays and that they took quite a few weekends off as well.

You have created an imaginary enemy from your stress who is like you, but better and you're chasing them by cutting your sleep.  But the only person whose standing you hurt when you sleep less is yourself. 

You don't even need to beat this "enemy" but the pressure you have put on yourself to do that is hurting you and holding you back. 

Please cut out two of your study sessions every day for two weeks, then reflect on how that has impacted you.