Since I am a grade-conscious student who often finds myself stressed, I am quite serious about my study routine.
Hello, I am 
I'll be honest here, I'm the type of student who does not want to fail in any exam, but at the same time, I'm very lazy with studying. Despite being lazy sometimes, I force myself to start studying a week before the exam so that I won't be cramming close to the deadline.
As I said, I do not want to cram (but I really can't help myself, I still end up cramming🥲🥲. I have an old junior high school notebook that still has a lot of blank pages. As I did not want to waste it, I used it as my "To-Do List" notebook. From the title itself, I write down all the activities or tests that I need to do for the day. If I have already done a task, I cross it out with a red ballpen. I was really strict on this, especially in the first quarter's first semester. In the evenings, I made sure to do all of my work even for the weekends. However, I started feeling drained because there was too much work in school. I couldn't do all of it in the evenings anymore. I even started doing some of the tasks at school, which I really want to avoid since it is considered as crammingðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
Another study habits of mine is the way I approach weekend homework. When teachers give homework or tests to be submitted on Mondays, I take "me time" on Saturdays, I also do chores around the house like doing laundry. On Sunday mornings, I either take a bath or begin studying immediately so I won't have to cram and will still have time to use my phone at night.
My favorite study tip is creating reviewers a week or two before the exam. I don't know why I do this, but it becomes my hobby every before the exam week. I don't prefer studying straight from my notebook because it's not that organized.
In Grade 9, this was the first time I didn't make the honors list at the first quarter. It literally made me lose my confidence. Before the second quarter started, I promised to myself that I will make it back to the honors. That was when I started making reviewers. I used to handwrite them, but in Grade 11, I switched to printing them, except for the math subjects because I had to write down the formulas by hand. It's time-consuming and tiring because I have to set time to prepare reviewers, as I have to have all of them prepared at least a week prior to the exams so that I can study smoothly. This method works for me and is highly effective.
I also apply the Feynman Technique, where I attempt to visualize myself explaining the subject to someone (I like studying alone, so I just visualize). I then apply the Blurting Method, where I take down anything I can recall after reading through a subject. Last but not least, I test myself using the Test Yourself method, where I take multiple-choice questions from my teachers' modules. It is a good way of knowing whether I actually learned the material. For definitions, I attempt to memorize them in what they referred to as the active recall and write them down on a paper.
Even though I stick to these study routines, the most essential thing is to rest and provide yourself with some time to relax. Upon prolonged study hours, one must rest one's mind. What is studying for if you are so stressed out that you cannot remember anything? And I've realized that it is advisable to sleep early before the exam. Sleeping late will leave you weak and drowsy during the test, which might affect your performance. Oh, and also one tip from my Grade 9 Adviser/Consumer Chemistry teacher, eat chocolate or any sweets the morning of the test so your mind can stay alert. Sometimes it works to me, sometimes it does not🤪ðŸ˜
It's fine to take your time to chill out.
With finals coming up, no wonder everyone feels a little extra stressed and under pressure. But, let's not forget: "Rest when you're tired. Recharge when you're drained. You can't pour from an empty cup."- Unknown. Thank you for reading! I hope this has been helpful to you and provided some ideas or suggestions. Until next blog! 🥰🥰
