For the matric Class of 2018, this year is a culmination of 12 years of dedication and effort and the time has come to shine.
Udersh Mahesh co-founder of Easy as Pi said, “For some, this might be a daunting time due to the amount of work that is required and with this in mind, I thought it appropriate to share with you a plan that might help in making your academic year a notable one.”
Mahesh has provided the following key points:
Vision: Set your goal/s and write them down
We effectively use our time when we have inspired goals, said Mahesh. Write your goals down. Place them where you see them daily. An example is: ‘Obtain an 80 per cent average in mathematics by year end’.
What’s important is that the goals energise and excite. Your ‘why’ is fuel for your actions. Make goals specific, measurable, aligned with your values, realistic and time-bound.
Create a vision board to allow you to be able to see your vision clearly and also take time to seed the feeling of what it will be like to achieve your goal. Look at this board and seed often.
Structure: Plan your life, live your plan
Create an action plan. Start with the end in mind and work backwards from there. Deconstruct into smaller actions. I recommend the weekly scheduling template taken from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to identify priorities. Listen to Tim Ferriss’s podcast on the art and science of learning anything faster. There are many time management apps too.
Include time for study, breaks, leisure, fun etc. with the knowledge that if your main goals are focused on academics, a large part of your time will be devoted to studying and exam preparation.
Eating: You will never outwork a bad diet and lethargy
Dedicate around 45 minutes daily to being physically active. Adopt a mindfulness practice such as yoga that cultivates focus. Consume organic fruit and vegetables and avoid highly processed foods. Ditch sugar, if nothing else.
Healthy eating and exercise energise the body and strengthen the mind, resulting in greater and faster cognition and memory.
Focus: Eliminate distractions. Avoid multitasking
Once down to a task, remove distractions, find solitude and turn off technology. Work for at least 45 minutes at a time. There is power in focus.
Tribe: You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with
Don’t expect to be in the club of high performers if you spend most of your time surrounding yourself with mediocrity.
Stay away from the ‘Chicken Littles’ who on the day of exams are panic-stricken because they haven’t adequately prepared.
Practise: Usain Bolt prepares for the 100m by running the 100m
Prepare yourself for exams and tests by finding all previous exam and test material and going through it under exam conditions.
This will give insight into how you manage your time and emotions and will allow you to then adjust or eliminate any patterns that don’t serve you.
What do you think about the tips provided? Share your views with us by emailing our group editor, Daniella Potter, at daniellap@caxton.co.za
