As end of year/external exams are still a reassuringly long while away, now is a good time to address your study needs. The best thing to do at this point in the year is to prepare for your revision. Here are five tips to help you reach your goals:

1) Sort out your notes first. Use this time to make sure all your study notes are neatly filed. Finish any projects or extension work you can, so you can make the most of your revision period.

2) Fail to plan, plan to fail. When you are ready, draw up a loose timetable. Divide your subjects between days and figure out a rough daily routine. But be careful: it’s inevitable that you’ll fall behind. So it’s best to to schedule in ‘free periods’ to catch up.

3) Efficiency over aesthetics! It’s easy to think that neat and beautiful notes are the only way forward, but don’t loose sight of the deadlines. Is the perfect timetable really going to motivate you to get out of bed? Will multi-coloured mindmaps with pictures help you enough to justify the time you’ve spent on them? Of course your notes should be tidy and interesting, just don’t go overboard.

4) You know your methods best. Establish the best learning styles for you. And stick to them. If you get organised early enough, you’ll avoid wanting to change your approach later on. Your future self will be glad!

5)Make the most of your breaks! Frequent breaks are absolutely necessary. Not only short ones but activities as well. Having a creative output like music or clearing your mind through exercise are two ideas for how to control your stress levels. If you keep doing what you love, you’ll realise that you don’t have to change your lifestyle much in exam period!