When it comes to revision most people find it hard to get stuck into it and to motivate themselves to persevere. This tends to be because they have many distractions around that they don't even realise. Everybody revises differently and some things that one person finds distracting may be different to what somebody else finds distracting. These are just a few things that are a big NO when it comes to revision.
Your phone:
You would think this is common sense to put the one object that can distract you the most out of site but many people feel like they need their phone next to them. If your phone buzzes with a notification or the screen flashes, you will look at it! Why? Because the the notification you got is much more interesting than the boring revision you are doing. Just turn your phone off if you have to have it in your room or (the better option) put it in another room. This way there is less temptation to go on it and you can focus solely on your revision.
Listening to music:
Personally I can't listen to any music when I revise. I find it really difficult to not sing the lyrics because they're catchy and more fun than revising business. However, some people believe it helps them to revise and if thats the case, fair enough. Studies have shown that classical music is the best music to listen to because it is most likely music you haven't heard the song before and it can be calming. Music is a big distraction and although you won't realise it, you will most likely be focusing on the song than your revision and find that when it comes to recalling the information you have learnt you will not remember much of it. You'll probably only be able to recite a verse from thank u next by Ariana Grande but thats not really going to help you in the exam is it?
Long study periods:
On average your brain can only focus on information for about twenty minutes before it starts to drift off. Thats why doing a three hour study session without breaks is not a great idea. If you can't concentrate for long periods of time. Don't worry, most people can't either. To make sure you revise effectively consider short bursts of revision. For example, forty minute chunks followed by a five minute break. This way you are more likely to remember the information you are processing.
Going on your phone in your break:
If you look at your phone when you are on your study break you will lack motivation to get back into your revision. You'll get distracted and end up on Instagram for hours. Your phone should stay off until you finish revising. Instead you could get a drink, have a snack, just walk around for a bit, then get back to revision. If you don't, when you sit down to revise all you'll be able to think about is Sarah on her amazing holiday in France.
Revising before bed:
If you revise an hour before you go to bed, you will not be able to sleep. Your brain will be so focused on processing information that it will prevent you from being able to drift off. Not only that but, you will probably end up having dreams about solving that math question you really don't understand and because its a dream the numbers won't even make sense. If you want to do revision before bed I would recommend just sitting in bed and flicking through text book pages this way you're just reading information instead of trying to answer questions and writing things down.
If you do any of these things, don't worry! I used to do all of these things until I realised they were not helping me one bit. Like I said at the beginning, people get distracted by different things, so if you do one of these things and think it helps you revise, keep doing it. I would just maybe try not doing it and see if that makes a difference.
I hope this helps anyone trying to break any bad revision habits and reminds you that there are so many distractions that you don't even realise. Follow me on instagram @studentstudyhelp to keep updated with the website, vote on various polls and receive daily revision tips Mon-Fri!
Thanks for reading - Holly :)