18 Oct 2019

The exam period is a hectic time for everyone.

Over a matter of just weeks, your usually chilled-out mates can turn into under-slept wrecks, the local library will transform from a ghost-town into a bustling metropolis, and teachers’ offices will have lines of scared and confused students snaking out the door.

Making it all the way from Monday through to Friday is a tough slog when you spend every minute trying to stuff as much information into your brain as possible. So, it’s natural that when the weekend rolls around, all ya wanna do is kick back and forget that life exists.

But unfortunately for you, life does still exist and ignoring that fact is only gonna make things harder when Monday comes marching back into town.

It’s true, studying on the weekend can be crucial to getting out of exams alive. Studying all weekend is probs a bad idea, though, because you need balance in your life. But avoiding it completely can be a recipe for disaster.

 
 

One of the hardest things to figure out during the exam period is what the hell you should be doing with your Saturday nights.

Staying in and studying on a Saturday is the societal equivalent of giving in to the man and it’ll make you feel about thrice your age. But going out and having a blinder with your mates could potentially turn your Sunday into a complete write-off.

So, what do ya do?

I’d say do something in between. And no, I’m not suggesting that you spend your Saturday night having a group study session. I mean, each to their own, but I’d quite happily pass on that one.

Saturday nights should always be fun, no matter what part of the school calendar you find yourself in. It’s your human right to enjoy yourself on a Satdee night.

Is there was a way to enjoy your weekend without making your Sunday a literal “day of rest”? Can it be done?

If your brain is getting error messages just trying to comprehend this idea, then please, read on.

I can confirm that there is a way, and it only involves a little bit of creative thinking. What I like to do is pretend that it’s a weeknight (outside of the exam period), and I’m meeting up with my mates.

Mid-week social events with ya mates exist, and you usually manage to wake up the next day feeling well enough to head to class. So here’s the great secret: try doing this on a Saturday night too!

Head to the movies, go out for pizza, play board games, do an escape room, cook up a storm, play Xbox, or just sit around and bant. Ban any talk about study for the night, enjoy yourselves, and still get a good night’s sleep.

This talk of Saturday nights is all relative, of course. If you’d prefer to study at night so you can give yourself some free time while the sun is shining, then go right on ahead! What’s important is that you give yourself a decent chunk of time to enjoy yourself over the weekend.

Taking a break is a huge part of study success. It’s true that your mind is like a muscle, and it can’t be under the pump 24/7. If you’ve ever put that theory to the test, you’ll know that the old think tank burns out pretty fast when it isn’t given any time to rest.

So, enjoy your weekend, get a little study out of the way, rest that brain, and smash those exams. You got this.