Lifestyle
Having a lifestyle conducive to study and revision
Content
01 Introduction
02 No two people are the same
03 Study as if for a marathon, not a sprint
04 Having a ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’
05 Get as much daylight as possible
06 Study in a suitable environment
07 Be a student… but don’t eat like one
- 01 Introduction
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As a student, cultivating a balanced lifestyle is one of the most difficult things to do; such are the pressures, constraints, and temptations placed in front of you. Nonetheless, many of the key factors to academic success - memory, concentration, interest, motivation, stamina - can all, to an extent, be controlled through cultivating the right kind of lifestyle.
This section includes advice and guidance on some of the things that need to be considered in relation to this.
[Back to top] - 02 No two people are the same
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Everyone is different and therefore attuned to a slightly different lifestyle. However, there are some study habits that are generally thought to be good for most people; likewise, there are some that are commonly held to be bad.
[Back to top] - 03 Study as if for a marathon, not a sprint
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In an ideal world, you would take the above advice to its extreme and revise weekly, effectively dispensing with the need for any serious end of year revision. It reality, the world is not ideal; and nor are you, in all likelihood. Nonetheless, pacing yourself is the key to success. See the section on time management if you feel this is a particularly problematic area for you. Try to forge a routine that is effective for yourself, and be realistic about what you can achieve in a given period of time. Also be realistic about the capabilities of your own memory and concentration.
[Back to top] - 04 Having a ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’
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mens sana in corpore sano – Latin phrase
The importance of physical exercise is often overlooked and neglected by students. Sometimes it is even portrayed as the antithesis of intellectual activity; somehow incompatible with scholarly thought. In spite of these misconceptions, anything that makes your heart beat faster and your breathing rate increase (so long as it is not for an uncomfortable period of time), improves concentration and intellectual performance in the short term. Thirty minutes of exercise a few times a week is ideal. Outdoor exercise can also be a welcome escape especially during exam time.
[Back to top] - 05 Get as much daylight as possible
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No, don't go on holiday - try to ensure that your waking hours correspond to the movements of the sun, as far as possible. There is no substitute for sleep. Students tend to get too much of it or not enough. Bar the well-deserved lie-in and the late nights at the weekend, try to keep your sleeping patterns regular and avoid working too late at night. This causes over-tiredness, insomnia, sloppy thinking and poor memory retention. Working through the night may be okay as a one-off at the end of term, when a big assignment (and poor planning) requires it, and you are able to spend the following days recovering. It is not good practice to do this regularly though.
[Back to top] - 06 Study in a suitable environment
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As well as finding the right time to study (which will almost certainly not correspond to the times chosen by your friends unless you are extremely lucky), you also need to spend some time thinking about your study environment. Do you concentrate best in the library or at home? Can you work in long, uninterrupted blocks of time (the minority), or short bursts with frequent breaks (the majority)? Is your environment conducive to this? Contrary to the advice about daylight, are you an owl rather than a lark? All these factors need careful consideration. When you have found your ideal working environment, make sure it is well-lit, preferably with a window nearby. Mid-morning and late afternoon are supposed to be the best times for the average person to study most effectively.
[Back to top] - 07 Be a student… but don’t eat like one
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Keeping your diet balanced is crucial to sustaining good concentration, memory, and motivation. Try to keep your intake of sugar down, as excessive sugar lowers your blood sugar level which results in your body demanding yet more sugar. This is a vicious cycle, and not conducive to healthy thought. Avoid too much caffeine: it makes you feel alert in the short-term but anxious in the long-term. This means watching your intake of chocolate, coffee, tea, and coke. Be warned, carbohydrates make you sleepy, so avoid too many of them before studying, especially immediately before revision and exams. These include potatoes, pasta, rice, and bread. Naturally, you need your staples, but don't overdo it.
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