Guilty of binge watching Netflix? Here’s some tips to get motivated on the final stretch

Exam season is on the horizon and we’re all trying to get into the swing of revision, but when our lives have been put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s pretty hard to stay motivated. Most of us are struggling to come to terms with the fact that we still actually have exams.

You might remember Zoe, who has an Instagram page just for her revision notes, from our last article. The Cardiff student with over 50,000 followers on Instagram gave us tips on how to stay motivated and healthy during lockdown, and here they are:

It’s perfectly normal to struggle to stay motivated

This is a difficult time for everyone, and we’re adjusting to it day by day. Zoe believes it’s completely normal to struggle right now, “we’ve never experienced anything like this and it’s okay to have some time to chill and just binge watch Netflix if that’s what makes you feel good right now.” Wish my Mum thought the same tbh.

Find your ‘why’

Zoe’s first tip is to find your ‘why’ – “why are you studying what you’re studying? What is the outcome you want from this?” Her aim is to create a schedule each day so she has some kind of structure to her weeks, for example, “working between 9-3 on a weekday, having an hour for lunch and taking regular breaks after each hour of studying.” We’ve had this drilled into us since school with the old ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ line. But it sounds like this is actually a tactic we need to adopt.

It’s all in the planning

It’s pretty hard to keep up with tasks in lockdown, especially when the food shop is your biggest event of the week. Zoe suggests to “jot down 2-3 tasks you want to get done each day.” But that doesn’t mean you can’t start off with one task a day and then build it up as you get more into a routine. She believes it’s a “sensible and realistic amount meaning you won’t get overwhelmed.”

When planning your day and dividing your tasks, it “prevents you wasting time thinking about what to do each day!”

Treat yourself

Now treats, that’s something I can get on board with. When planning your day out, and the tasks you aim to get done that day, you want to give yourself a reward for every task you complete. The reward could be from a tea break with your household to watching an episode of a series you’re currently loving on Netflix…

“Set some kind of reward for each task you complete…It gives you an incentive to get your work done.”

Adjusting to remote teaching

“With online uni, it’s definitely such a big jump”. There is no set routine of getting up, going to lectures, going to the library and so on. “Trying to reinforce some kind of structure is really beneficial. Dedicate a specific window of hours in the week to study within and keeping weekends to chill!”

She suggests to keep on top of your lectures and aim to get them done on the day instead of putting them off and letting the work pile up. “Make sure that you have that dedicated workspace to try and mimic some reality, have everything you need nearby and keep it organised!”

It’s not all about studying

Zoe’s final tip is to make sure you’re getting out and making the most of that one form of exercise a day, as “It’ll help clear your mind and allow you to feel re-energised and ready to carry on!”

Zoe is also thinking of starting a study challenge for May. She says it’s something to keep people studying but also thinking about the bigger picture, and give people the opportunity to “share things that work for them and hopefully help a few people out too.”

“It’s not necessarily a challenge of studying for the 31 days, it’s more of a thing to try and get the study community together and thinking of a few different things.”

We might not all be able to create the astounding notes that Zoe does, but following these steps can get you on the right path at least.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Meet the Cardiff student whose revision notes earned over 50k followers on insta 

The seven stages of self-isolation every Cardiff student is going through right now 

Here’s how to cope with the fam during lockdown