By: Fadila

With exam season barely a month away, I feel it sufficient enough to start preparing from now, I NEED to be able to sleep, workout, meal prep, work, socialize, write, do service, and more when Exams are on my doorstep. Thus, I’m roping you all into this, because I’ve had enough tantrums, nervous breakdowns, panic attacks, breakouts, “5 kilo beto3 emtahanat”, sudden cravings, under eye bags, and other exam season symptoms to last me a lifetime. My life should be more organized {lol, I’m trying}. So, here’s what we’ll do:

1- Study Corner

When exams approach, I get out of bed, and join the corner where my desk and mini library are – and I stay there till exams are done. That corner is free of any and all distractions, I ask my parents change the Netflix password, I stock up on water, fruits, veggies, Nescafe, and a ton of gum – I pretend like I’m going to war, literally. I put on a timer and do everything by hand instead of through the laptop, this space? Is organized af, it has only things that I could use while studying, for example: readings, past quizzes and tests, textbook(s), notes, and flashcards if I have any. This is where I camp, thus, create your own Study Corner, stock up on whatever you want, it’s important though that the food is healthy because it helps you focus (unlike the usual McDonald’s order that drives everything to shit). Hell, you can decorate that corner with quotes or whatever Tumblr mood you’re in.

2- FLOW CHARTS

I don’t care what anyone says, flow charts saved my life more times than I can count. Studying WWII? Turn it into a flow chart. Studying DNA transcription/translation? Flow Charts. Kol haga flow charts. Flow charts make remembering things easier, everything is in sudden order, so info is ingrained in your head in the form of “1,2,3” – everything suddenly makes sense – obviously, what you need during an exam is to remember your shit, if you work with flow charts, then you’re definitely set for ANY exam.

3- Chamomile Tea + Omega 3

Well, obviously, you’re in need of two things when studying for exams: first – to calm the hell down, second – to focus. I’m a person whose got the attention span of a goldfish, unless I’m enjoying what I’m doing, I’ll never focus, thus I quit Nescafe for these two months (and throw tantrums while doing so), and I commit to Chamomile. Chamomile Tea has very profound calming properties, more so than most other teas, especially because one of its primary uses is with aiding sleep. Omega 3 is found in an array of seafood but if you’re not a fan there are always Omega 3 pills. Omega 3 aids in concentration and increases the attention span. It strengthens your mind through guiding your focus. These two things are paramount to a successful pre-exam season preparation.

4- Take Breaks

For real, take breaks. When you take breaks you will not be as distracted when slipping back into your study slots. You’re not superhuman, you can’t focus all the damn time. So breathe, take breaks at specific intervals, and don’t forget to do something you enjoy (or nothing at all) during those breaks. Dance, sing, cruise for a bit, sketch something, or even scroll through social media – but don’t even try Netflix-ing because that’s a cycle with no end in sight.

5- Study Saturdays

Basically – all there is to say here is through this link.

6- Study Schedule?

I’ve run out of things to say that I’ve not already said, so you can find this step right here.