Posted on by Successlynk
Preparation for competitive exams requires lot of hard work and determination. Sometimes, you may get stressed out or feel depressed or may procrastinate during your studies. You would then try to motivate yourself again. However, to succeed you need a long-term motivation.
Consistent motivation gives you unwavering focus, which is utmost necessary to succeed in competitive exams. It boosts your study levels and you will do all the necessary tasks that give you an edge over others. Here are some tools that will keep you consistently motivated during competitive exams.
1. Write your goals down: Research has proven that if you have set clear, written goals with realistic timelines, it will push you to take action. The chances of achieving your goals increase multi-fold. For your written goals, write an action plan on how you will achieve this goal. Your specific action plan is a roadmap that will lead you to your success.
2. Keep your focus on today: Remove all pressures from your mind by keeping your focus on today. Every day, find a purpose and fulfil it. For example if you want to get a job in Bank, if you are preparing for the exam, your purpose for today could be to make notes or to solve previous question papers. Prepare your to-do list for today and focus on accomplishing them.
3. Enjoy what you do: You will enjoy something if you love it. When preparing for competitive exams, if you enjoy the process of preparation, you will feel less stressed, will be able to focus more and get much less distracted. For example, if you have to read newspaper and make notes for current affairs, love the task as it helps you to evolve into a knowledgeable person. Enjoy the process of note making.
4. Show creativity in your preparation: You can be creative in making your notes more visual and appealing that helps in retaining the content in a much better way. Use colours, pictures, audio and visuals in making notes. Being creative in your preparation not only uses both your right and left brains, but also helps you in retaining content and concepts better. It keeps your energy levels high and also keeps you motivated all through your preparation till your exams.
5. Use scientifically proven techniques: Use proven study and memory techniques. For example, you can use OK4R reading method to read huge content.
- O (Overview): First read the headings, sub-headings, introduction and summary to get a general idea what is included in the chapter.
- K (Key ideas): Skim through the key ideas. Note the first sentence of each paragraph, italics and bold-type text, tables, pictures and diagrams, bulleted sections and itemizations. These give the key ideas of the chapter.
- R1 (Read chapter from beginning to end): After knowing what is being discussed, read the entire chapter to see full explanation of concepts.
- R2 (Recall): As soon as you complete reading, write key points in few sentences. This immediate recall takes only a minute or two but doubles your retention.
- R3 (Reflect): Now think and try to find the relationship with other topics you have learnt. This will help the concepts just learnt keep in permanent memory.
- R4 (Review): Take tests and quizzes that help you go through your notes again. You can do this perhaps once a week. These time-to-time reviews or revisions retain the concepts permanently.
One of the most popular techniques for time management is the Pomodoro technique. In this technique, you will use a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes, with short breaks of 5 to 10 minutes in between. You can find a number of apps and websites providing timers and instructions.
6. Stay organised: Break the work you need to do into small manageable chunks. It will help you from becoming overwhelmed. Make lists or charts to organize your work.
7. Reward yourself: Rewarding oneself whenever a goal is achieved is a simple but amazing tool to keep your motivation high. You will feel positive emotions and will consciously or subconsciously realise that a high effort will result in more accomplishment. It keeps your motivation on high levels until your objective is reached.
Dream it. Believe it. Build it. Do something today that your future self will thank you for. All the best!
Posted in competitive exams