Speaker 1: Ever created a study schedule and almost immediately given up on it? Well, traditional timetables are pretty unrealistic and difficult to stick to, so it's no wonder they don't tend to stick around very long. Using the Big Five mindset skills Focus, Motivation, Resilience, Stress and Confidence, we're going to create an effective study timetable that works and plays to our brain's strengths. As Abraham Lincoln said, give me six hours to chop down a tree and I'll spend the first four sharpening the axe. Trees aside, what he means is that spending time creating an effective plan allows for greater success in the process and outcome of a task. So here's my top five tips for creating an effective study timetable that you'll stick to and the science behind why this works. So you've got a blank week in front of you. First of all, add in the stuff you enjoy. No, really. If you've got a favourite TV show you have to watch every Thursday or football practice, then the first thing to do is plan this time in. Why do this first? Well, because if we're happy, we're motivated and have things to look forward to. So don't give up everything you enjoy when it comes to exam season. Doing things we enjoy is a really great way of controlling our stress. This also includes the time you'll be at school or work. We're now left with the available revision and work time. Number two, focus on tasks, not time. In traditional timetables, we only block out time slots for a subject. So we'll say 10 to 11, we'll revise maths. At the end of that hour, we stop, no matter where we are, whether we've completed a task or not. Focusing on tasks rather than time allows us to be more in control of what specifically we are learning. After all, an exam tests what you know, not how long you spent learning. Following on from this, number three is specific. Make specific goals for each study task. For example, complete question number one from practice paper five for maths. Study goals boost our confidence in our ability as we can clearly see our progress and achievement. When you've got your specific study task, estimate how long roughly this will take you to do. Then block the tasks into the schedule in short, sharp sessions. Long study sessions don't work. Use the Pomodoro technique of 25 minutes with five-minute breaks in between. And use these breaks to stretch your legs, play with the dog. It doesn't matter if a task will take you to Pomodoro sessions because working in this way optimises our focus and concentration

Speaker 2: and will improve our memory of new information. And last of all is review.

Speaker 1: The reason most timetables don't stick around for very long is because the second they don't work, we give up on them completely. Be flexible. At the end of the day, take a minute to reflect on what worked well and what didn't. Move things around. Work out your optimum time of day to be studying. What gets measured gets improved. And being flexible allows us to continually progress

Speaker 2: and personalise our study routine to fit us. So when you're making a study timetable, put the fun stuff first

Speaker 1: and focus on the tasks you need to do rather than the time and create specific goals for each task. Then estimate how many Pomodoro sessions you think the tasks will take you and plan it into the timetable. And lastly, review how your timetable is working for you and feel free to adapt and mould it to better fit you as you go. So I hope you find these tips useful. Let me know in the comments below which of them you're going to try first and if you are studying for exams at the moment, good luck. I'm putting all of this and much, much more into the Make Your Mind Up Study and Mindset app which will be launching really soon. If you'd like to find out more, I'll leave a link in the description below. Next week, we'll be focusing on top tips for coping with exam stress. So make sure you subscribe and I'll see you next week.