revision timetabling

Jennifer commented on this post asking about revision timetables so I thought I would do a post geared towards those of us who study or want to study something - be it in their spare time or at university/college/school.

As you can see, I write my exams into my Filofax (this was back in January before my fling with the Moleskine) when I had two exams in three days (one on the Tuesday and the other on the Thursday). So the first tip is: write when your exam(s) are (if you have any), what time they are and also where. This must be the first thing you do - as it really reaffirms (in your mind, at least) that the exam is in the near future - near enough for you to write in your diary! Sometimes, you are also given a seating plan (I know I am for mine) so checking beforehand where you're sat can reduce panic on the day if you fail to find your seat. Luckily, I just follow my friend who is straight after me on the year list so I give him the responsibility of finding where we're sat.

Next, you'll notice that I wrote on each day not only what module I should be revising, but also what part of that module. I know it says 'PB everything' but on the previous week, it said things like 'PB NMR' or 'PB Mass Spec'. So the second tip is: work out what you need to revise for the exam. I'm lucky in that most of my exams can be selectively revised for in that I can choose what questions to answer. If this is the case for you, your task would be to also work out what you want to revise - as you'll do best on the questions relating to topics you're most interested in.

Once you've got the two most important bits sorted out, the next is to work out your 'body timetable'. Now, for me, I feel sleepy every single day (without fail) around 1:30pm-3pm and so, when it came to revision, I either avoided revising at this time at all or I did some light reading instead - such as reading a journal article about a related subject or reading a fictional novel. So work out what time of day is best for you. If you find that the best time for you to revise is 3am, it may be best to try and alter your sleeping pattern a little as I had friends who pulled 'all nighters' before an exam and came out of it feeling worse for wear! Needless to say, they didn't do as well as they hoped. Another way to combat your 'sleepy time' is to drink a cup of coffee or suck on a very strong mint. I find the Trebor XXX mints quite good.

After this, figure out how long your attention span is. I can work at a decent rate for at least two hours straight without a break. I know some people say you should work for an hour then take a ten minute break, or whatever, but I find that an hour for me is too short. I get so little done and by the time my brain is working at its best, I'm due to take a break!

Now that you've got all that done, your revision timetable can be devised. Stick to a certain routine with regards to waking up time and sleeping time. I tend to wake up at 8am for a 9am start to revision and then I go to bed at half 10 at night. I can actually function on eight hours of sleep but I'd rather play it safe for those nights where you can't fall asleep instantly.

Obviously, other advice (which can be useful) for revision is:
- to clear your desk (one that works wonders for me as it means less distractions!)
- work out if you need total silence or can bear a little noise
- and figuring out whether you learn better from writing things over and over again or need to use the a diagrammatical or pictorial aid. There is no shame in either method, or any method for that matter but I find that a mixture of both works well for me. As does colour.

I hope this has helped a little but this is basically the way I go about making a revision timetable. It has worked well for me thus far but of course, the main thing is sticking to a timetable and discipline :-)

happiness project / / update #2

So, as you may remember, for August, I did a month of daily goals. These goals ranged from just baking a cake to reading a chapter of a book. For most of the goals, I succeeded – particularly the baking, watch x and y and volunteering but the ones I commonly failed on were ‘read a chapter of z’ where z would be a book I misplaced on a regular basis!

For September 2011, my overall motto is to ‘be more organised’. I’m moving back into hall accommodation in the last week as a re-applicant so I’ll help look after the freshers and stuff so I need to work out what to pack and what to send. I usually overpack so I’m going to try and pack less – remember my minimalist project! The picture above is just one draft (I know what you're thinking... draft?! Of a list?!) of my packing list but I need to whittle it down further as what you can't see overleaf is a list of the clothes I want to take - and that would take up two suitcases alone.

I also need to prepare for three entrance exams for my post graduate study application of medicine. I’ve decided against a gap year post graduation and have opted to go straight into study if possible. After all, I’ve enjoyed these two months of work experience so much – I want to get my teeth into a medicine degree ASAP!

So, it’s going to be a busy month full of organisational orientated projects. After all, this is what my packing list looks like and it is pretty long! Too long to take with me within a day, even with the help of my mum; so it needs whittling down.

I’m also going to draw up a revision timetable schedule that should be able to be applied generally so that I don’t need to make another one each time I revise for a new module. 

Hopefully, with this challenge, I will gain happiness by regaining more control of my time and life. At least, that's the gist of my September goal.

my favourite scents...

...match my Vintage Rose Finchley!

my favourite scent

I sprayed this onto one of those cards you get from department stores and waved it around for a bit to sniff it’s true scent. After this, I put it into my pocket and the smell followed me round for the whole afternoon and it really is a pleasant smell. It’s not overpowering, nor is it underwhelming and the fragrance really does smell fresh and girly – not the mention the fact that it really does last, but this may be due to the fact that I sprayed the Eau de Parfum variety.

With this experience, I decided to purchase Eau de Parfum and I’m really glad I did. It’s fast becoming my new favourite scent as it lasts the whole day (two squirts does the trick – once at the neck and once on the wrist) and I often wake up the next morning still smelling faintly of it. And, I shower really thoroughly – trust me! I’m starting to believe that this will be my new signature scent.

I’ve been using Marc Jacobs Daisy for the last three years now and I love it. It’s nice and girly – exactly the way I dress and as a result, it suits my dress sense. However, with the release of Eau so Fresh this summer, I dragged myself down to my nearest department store and sprayed it onto a card. The card you see here incidentally. Anyway, this made my Moleskine smell so cute, that I had to purchase it. It’s an Eau de Toilette so it doesn’t last as long as my Chloe perfume but it’s perfect for those hot summer days where you want a light perfume that isn’t overpowering with the heat and humidity. It’s sweeter in terms of smell than the original Daisy but for me, I actually prefer it. Both variants actually last for about the same amount of time and a top up of the fragrance may be necessary later on in the day.

I actually use Miss Dior Cherie too but that’s currently in London (and I’m at home with my parents at the moment) and is a nice, more ‘mature’ fragrance for a grown up rather than a young girly girl – something that I think Eau So Fresh is more geared towards.

As you can see, my favourite perfumes are pink – whether it’s the bottle or the actual fragrance I don’t know. Either way, all I know is that it suits my Vintage Rose Finchley – something I’m trying to use once again.

the cutest notebook ever...

...and it's not mine! Well, anymore. Last month, it was my sister's birthday and as you all know, I placed an order on Artbox for two diaries which I reviewed also: here and here. In this order, there was also a few presents and this is one of them: a cute notebook. And I had present envy when I gave it to her, too.

Anyway, isn't this the cutest notebook ever?

I don't think she has started using it yet so I can't comment on the paper quality, but the exterior just looks so cute and if I had it, personally, I wouldn't want to use it!

Do you have any stationery that you just don't want to use as it is cute/expensive/whatever else?