Blog: Staying on track with revision over the winter break

Are you a University of Birmingham student and worried about staying on track with revision over the winter break? Do you find it difficult to stay focused and motivated on studying during the holidays? If so, you’re not alone!

Hi, my name is Hannah, and I am a Student Content Shaper here to share some tips and advice on how to structure your revision to balance both relaxation and revision over the festive season.

Creating a 50/50 revision schedule 

Having a revision schedule that prioritises both work and rest is important in achieving study goals whilst preventing burnout. It’s key to create a plan that fits around your daily routine and so should be something personal to you. There's many types of study schedules you can choose from: you can dedicate weekdays for revision and weekends for relaxation, or revise in the morning and afternoon before relaxing in the evening, the choice is up to you.

However, if you’re celebrating Christmas this year, a top tip is to remember to plan your revision around the Christmas activities. For example, having a revision-free Christmas Day or clearing evenings for Christmas dinners with family or friends. This way you’ll be able to spread your workload out evenly throughout the break and also take part in all the Christmas festivities. 

Setting personal deadlines and goals 

Setting personal deadlines is a technique I find useful when I have lots of coursework to do. I simply set personal deadlines and treat them as the actual deadlines. This allows you to dedicate your time and energy to one task at a time and prevent feeling overloaded with work once the deadlines draw nearer.

A bonus tip is to start working on the largest task first, or whichever one you find most challenging, so you can tackle the most difficult and time-consuming piece of work first which will also help avoid procrastination.

Having a change of scenery 

Whether you’re returning home for the holidays or staying on campus, it’s always beneficial to have a change of scenery when revising over long periods of time. You may find yourself to be more productive doing work outside of your room, such as in a public place, at a local café or going to the library. Even adding some decorations to your workspace may help to boost your mood. For example, last year I made paper snowflakes to decorate my window which made me happy to look at during exam season and helped me get into the holiday spirit! If you feel unmotivated to revise or struggle with procrastination, you could try working in new surroundings to encourage yourself to stay focused on studying. Browse our study spaces on campus. 

I hope you have found these tips helpful with staying on track with revision over the winter break. While it’s great to be productive over the holidays, remember that there's plenty of support resources at the university to help you if you are ever feeling overwhelmed. Above all else, the winter break should be a time for you to relax but recharge for the next semester, so you can return to university feeling excited and motivated for the new semester (and year!) ahead. Good luck!

For more study resources, support and student advice, check out our UoBe Ready page.