Keeping studious during the festive season

With Christmas and the New year approaching, many students may find their motivation to work and study beginning to dwindle. There may indeed be an inverse relationship between academic industriousness, and the the proximity to the festive season. What`s certain is that the winter break may result in many students falling behind in their studies.

This certainly doesn`t need to be the case though - there are many things that can be done to ensure you start the new year (or perhaps the day after, if you have celebrated a little too hard) in a good frame of mind, ready to continue with your studies, and work towards your goals. The following list will help you make the most of the end of year break, and begin 2024 with a positive attitude.

Compile a list of goals for the new year

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to make a list of things you would like to achieve. Maybe there`s a certain topic in mathematics you have struggled with throughout your course, and you are determined to master it once and for all! Perhaps you want to improve your vocabulary, in order to improve your essay writing or debating skills. You can easily set yourself targets like these - the important thing is to write down the list of things you want to achieve, and give yourself a time frame to complete them. In this way you will ensure you don`t conveniently forget the things you have promised yourself you will tackle, nor will you keep deferring the time you have set yourself to complete them.
Make sure you give yourself realistic goals though - sure you may become an astronaut one day, but you are unlikely to achieve this during the course of a single year! Of course you want to have targets that will help you develop and improve your skillset, so don`t go too easy on yourself either!

Create productive and healthy routines

A good routine can lead to an extremely productive lifestyle, and again the new year is the perfect time to instantiate new habits that will help you with your studies. An important one is ensuring you have a nourishing and healthy breakfast each day. A 2019 study carried out by the university of Leeds found that secondary school pupils who regularly have a healthy breakfast score almost two GCSE grades higher than their peers who miss out on this meal.
More and more students are either missing out on breakfast completely, or gorging themselves on caffeinated energy drinks and sugar, which may give them enough impetus to leave the house and get to school, but will very likely have them crashing with fatigue once the first lesson begins.
Try to have a nourishing breakfast that is high in fibre, and low in sugar. Though it may be too bland for many, porridge is often extolled as the ideal way to break the fast of sleep. It`s high in fibre, and will slowly release energy throughout the morning, ensuring you can focus on your studies all the way through to lunch. If you find it just a little to bland you can always add (just a little) honey.
Other routines could be sticking to a fixed time to begin your evening work. Once you get into the habit of starting your work at a certain time, it will become an established part of your schedule, and you will find yourself in a productive mindset at the appointed time. You will save yourself from putting off your work till late in the evening, when you may be tired, and forced to rush yourself and produce work that is not representative of your true abilities.

Take stock of what you have achieved, and where you want to be headed

Look back on the year that has passed, and consider what you have achieved. What have you learnt over the last 12 months? Where do you what to be come the end of the next year. In our modern hectic lifestyle it can be hard to take a moment and pause. Reflect on everything that has happened over the year, in this way you will see what such a period of time can bring in the way of personal growth.
By considering the events of the past year you will also become more aware of how to achieve your ambitions. Rather than feeling like you are being carried along by the tide of life, month after month being borne along by the contingencies of chaos, you can achieve agency and direction.
Where would you like to be another year from now? Are exams approaching? Write down the grades you want to get. What course or university do you want to be on track for?

Don`t forget to relax!

The last point is make sure you take time to relax. This is the holiday season after all, and you deserve some time to recuperate. In the winter season especially people need to make sure they take time for themselves. After a relaxing break you will be able to start 2024 well rested, and ready to continue your studies.