7 ways to stop procrastinating and start revising!

We've all been there before - you're sitting there on your computer or laptop at 11:00pm at the end of a weekend of pure procrastination, just staring at an open Word document with just the title of the essay written... and absolutely no motivation or will to write anything else!

If you find yourself procrastinating a lot, you're certainly not alone - but with exams just around the corner, we seriously need to knuckle down and ace those exams.

So here are 7 tips you can do today to stop procrastinating and start revising.

1. Define your end-goal

What grade do you want to get? What University do you want to go to? If you have a good idea of what you want the end goal of all your hard work to be, then it'll be easier to motivate yourself to revise and stop procrastinating.

2. Create a set of objectives and stick to them

How often do you create an ambitious goal but find that you can't achieve it because the task you've set yourself just seems too much? It's important to break up your goal into lots of small bite-sized objectives to make it easier to complete - some people find that making lists helps with this.

3. Make revision as appealing as possible

This step is crucial for success, because you have to WANT to revise in order to actually do it. This can be achieved through colour-coding your notes, utilising flashcards, creating mindmaps and quizzes - anything that you find makes the revision more interesting.

4. Remove anything that could distract you

This is the hardest step for a lot of people, because there are so many things in our daily lives that distract us - phones, friends, YouTube videos... the list goes on. The key to success with this step links back to steps 1 and 2 - keeping your sights on your end goal and sticking to your objectives, because these should help to motivate and focus you enough to stave away from any distractions. Once you get into the habit of a regular routine of revision, distractions should become less of a problem.

5. Incentivise your revision sessions

Having mentioned the need to remove distractions, it's also a good idea to reward your hard work once in a while! Some people find it beneficial to give themselves mini rewards/treats along the way whilst they're revising, while other people go for something big in the long-term - a trip to Disneyland if they get good final grades, for example.

6. Take regular breaks from revision

Although the ideal duration of a revision session varies from person to person, many people recommend revising for no longer than 30-40 minutes at a time in order to avoid burnout. Another important (related) tip is the importance of sleep (at least 8 hours every night), since this helps your brain process all the revising you've been doing during the day and helps you remember things a lot more.

7. Find a revision buddy to help keep you on-track

If there's someone in your class who you're close to and you trust enough to not distract you (see step 4), then it can be very beneficial to team up with them and revise together. Sharing exam tips, study notes and other resources can all go a long way towards the exam success you both want and deserve.


So there we have it, 7 things you can do today to stop procrastinating and start revising. Are there any other tips that you would recommend? Leave a comment down below, and also feel free to share this post with anyone who might find it useful.