Lessons I've Learned From My Mocks & Motivation Tips

After completing my mocks about a month and a bit ago, I've been keen to share some advice and lessons I've learned because they are lessons I think most of us need to learn during exam seasons. I am also going to share with you some of the tips I have for motivation and not procrastination which to be honest, I would rather do sometimes!

My first big lesson I've learned is to not burn out. I am one for revising too hard because I believe that I don't know it, however, this has ended in a couple of little breakdowns which could have been avoided, however, it is completely natural. I've learned this because after receiving my results, I could see that I'm actually doing fairly well, and I did manage to pass all my mocks, achieving grades 8-5 which is A*-C in the old specification for those of you who are unaware of the new grades. I am in no way a straight A or A* student and I don't aspire to be, I just aspire to do the best I can, without burning out, because all it leads to is a lot more stress!

Another lesson I've learned which links into the burning out lesson is that I need to reward myself and take breaks more often. I usually just work until I get a certain task done which can take sometimes a couple of hours, and this means I just keep on working. It is either that or I take too many breaks which means I end up procrastinating! I want to thank my mum for kind of teaching me this lesson by giving me hot chocolates and taking me out on trips, well trying to because I refused because again, I work too much.

Something I have realised is that I need to stop doing longer periods of revision less often and do shorter periods of revision more frequently so I do not burn out. I am going to start making a timetable for this as I believe it will be the best way to revise easier. I already have a lot of notes that I have gathered over the past 2 and a bit years so it'll make revision a lot easier as I'm not re-teaching myself everything I need to know for the big exams in May and June.

So there are a few lessons that I've learned and I wouldn't have done so well without some of the motivation tips I am going to share. The first being: have rewards. Usually for me this is a bag of sweets like Magic Stars (I'm eating them right now), or Milkybar Buttons. It can be big or small, just something that you feel is a reward to yourself, otherwise you cannot be motivated.

My next tip is write a list. Lists are a visual resource that show you what you need to get done, and it can help you to plan how your day is going to go because what I find is easiest is to prioritise tasks, but if they don't all get done in one day, you can do it another day, it is not the end of the world. This helps you to know what you need to complete and there is always a feeling of accomplishment when you get everything completed!

My last bit of advice and the one that has helped me want to work more is watching "Study With Me" videos, because it gives you a chance to see other people working, and personally that makes me want to work harder knowing that other people are working just as hard. Some are unrealistic however, and last 14 hours?? I'm not awake for that many hours in a day, never mind studying for that long! My favourites to watch are Eve Bennett, Perksoflaur, Lydia Violeta and UnJaded Jade. All their channels are linked!

So I hope you take these tips on board and whether you're in school like me, college, or university, I wish you all the best in all exams you ever sit! Let me know if you like these posts, I really enjoyed writing it! love

mee xo