Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Finally, we get our much-deserved break!

We get to eat, sleep, relax, have fun and chill with our families. Christmas is personally one of my favourite holidays, because I have little to no guilt about doing absolutely nothing and doing the most when it comes to eating.

I should be given the title of ‘Minister of Fun and Enjoyment’ because that has got to be my ONLY plan for the Christmas holidays!

Alas, all that glitters is not gold. This period craftily manipulates us to let down our guards and forget that we have exams lurking ahead in the New Year. Like many other students, exams stir up feelings of intense anxiety and stress and sometimes, I just feel like I can’t really enjoy the holidays because at the back of my mind I feel like I should be more productive and get ready for my exams.

So, I am here to help! This blog is about my 3 important tips to be productive during the Christmas break:

1) Give yourself a maximum of 3 days off

The body is used to a cycle – the more you procrastinate studying the more your body relaxes into the mindset to be inactive. Obviously, you must take time off to relax.

Three days is more than enough anything longer than that is borderline laziness and the spirit of procrastination holding on to you. During your 3 days break, I want you to do absolutely nothing, not one piece of productive work, let your body and mind relax.

Your mental health is super important, and the regular stress of the university life affects your mental health without you noticing. Put on a Christmas film and grab a tin of chocolates …..

2) Make a Timetable and tell everyone at home

No one motivates you like your family especially when you’ve said something or set a goal you’re not keeping. Telling everyone produces a bit of motivation because you don’t want them nagging or talking about how inconsistent you are.

Creating a timetable helps you balance your time and plan effectively. The beginning of anything is always a difficult and that is the same for studying. Starting is always so hard especially when you think of the load of work waiting for you.

However, having a plan make your mind cleared and your focus easier to pinpoint.

3) Go Offline

JUST DO IT!!!! Stay away from social media because it will lead you into the endless abyss of procrastination. Going online you see people having fun, relaxing and going out.

Let’s not even talk about YouTube and its algorithm that keeps you online with endless videos till you snap back to reality and wonder how you found the account you just subscribed to. Social media has its many benefits but trust me when trying to study its best to just go offline.

Just a bit of friendly advice, work now and have fun later. This is easier said than done but it’s so worth it. After your exams you can watch whatever series you feel like you can’t live without.

Hopefully these three tips help you stay on task but most importantly I want to wish everyone all the best for 2019 Year! Enjoy it!