BALANCING YOUR STUDY TIME DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON

Festive periods are for celebration with family and friends with a lot to drink and to eat. Unfortunately, for those taking online courses or writing exams in the new year, there is more to think about.

Learning during festive time might not be cool, but you’ve got nothing to fear. If you’re very organised and get your learning started on time, you can still have a wonderful festive period and learn new things online at the same time. You will need to balance your time by sticking with these relaxation tips that will keep you motivated to learn during the holiday period.

Have a Plan

We know you want to have a good time during this period, but you have to plan towards achieving your learning objectives. Have a list of what you want to do and schedule in all your most important events and dates in your diary so that you know the times you won’t be able to study. Now you can take your online classes during the periods you are not too busy. It is vital to have this planned out long enough so as not to miss out of the festivities. However, you must be realistic as to the amount of time you needed for your study and the number of social events you will like to attend during this period. 

While it can be easy to leave little time for learning during the festive period, make sure you don’t go too far the other way by scheduling a 12-hour learning period. Focusing on your work for that long is a Herculean task, and if you fall short then you’re going to feel like you’ve wasted your day. Give yourself short learning sessions of a couple of hours at a time with regular breaks in between to make sure you remain fresh.

Make sure that you factor in all the work you have to do. This learning mode will be suitable especially if you are engaged in self-paced learning.

Create a Study Space

Create a space at home that will be your study area for the holidays. This should be a clear, quiet place where you won’t be disturbed while you’re working. If you have a spare bedroom, converting it into your temporary study would be ideal. If you can possibly manage it, don’t set up in the kitchen or living room. Sure, you’ll have company that way, but you’ll also be surrounded by distractions.

Or even head to the local library to get some work in. It’s another way to get you out of the house for a bit, and a change of scenery can work wonders for boosting productivity levels  

If you have no other option than to use a busy room, make sure your family know your timetable and will avoid disturbing you during study hours. Put a printed copy of your timetable on the wall so that everyone knows when you’re not to be bothered.

Don’t stress

The whole point of studying over the holidays is to make things easier for you. Make sure you mix your study with plenty of time spent enjoying yourself. If your family is having a great time in the living room while you’re working, allow yourself some down time. Ditch the study for a while and use the flexibility of your study planner to catch up on your hours later. Just make sure that you are strict enough with yourself that you still manage to finish all the work you have to do and that you aren’t staying up until 3am to finish it. 

Exercise Your Body

At Christmas time all you really want to do is lie on the sofa eating cheese and watching festive films. But a spot of exercise now and again can really help your study routine. Any exercise will help – you don’t have to go for a rigorous one to feel the benefit. If you don’t want to leave the house, how about trying a bit of yoga with some meditation thrown in? 

For a boost of endorphins and blood flow, try running on the spot for a few minutes to get your body pumped for a hardcore study session. The brief physical activity is a magic stress buster.

Keep it simple

The Christmas break is a brilliant opportunity to recharge your batteries. You need this time off to be with your family, catch up with friends and just indulge in some home comforts. Yes, you’re going to have to do some work, but don’t make yourself feel guilty for having a good time and don’t try to force yourself to study for 10 hours a day. Overdoing it is a quick way to make yourself stressed. Instead, look after your well-being and reap the benefits.