Scrolling on your phone is not a break, it's still stimulation.

What actually resets your brain:

• 5 minutes of staring out the window (no phone)

• A short walk around the block

• Stretching or deep breathing

• Making and drinking a cup of tea/water (without looking at a screen)

• Listening to one song with your eyes closed

Sacrificing sleep to study more is a trap, no matter what social media says. Sleep is when your brain consolidates memory. If you're not sleeping, you're basically not learning.

What to aim for:

• 7-8 hours minimum during exam season

• No screens 30 minutes before bed (or use blue light blockers)

• If you can't sleep, try breathing exercises: inhale 4s, hold 4s, exhale 4s

Rereading your notes feels productive, but in reality: It's not.

 It's passive and gives you a false sense of mastery.

What to do instead:

• Close your notes and write down what you remember

• Test yourself with past paper questions without looking at your notes first.

• Teach a concept out loud (to a friend, your mirror, or even a stuffed animal).

Active recall forces your brain to retrieve information, strengthening the neural pathway. This is science-backed! 

If your To-Do list looks like this: "Study Chemistry", it's too vague. You'll procrastinate.

Instead take inspo from these examples:

• "Complete 5 multiple-choice questions on titration."

• "Write an outline for one history essay."

• "Review two flashcards decks."

Check them off one by one. This builds momentum and gives you a sense of control when everything feels overwhelming!

The hardest part is starting. So make it easier try these steps:

• Tell yourself: "I'll just study for 2 minutes."

• 90% of the time, you'll keep going.

• This works because the resistance is to starting, not to studying.

Some days, your brain just won't cooperate, and that's 100% okay!

Signs you need a full break:

• You've read the same paragraph three times and still don't understand it

• You feel physically tired or tense

• You're getting more wrong than right on practice questions

What to do instead: Stop, and go to sleep earlier. Take a proper rest day. Trust that the rest will make your next study session more effective. Most importantly, don't feel guilty if you tried.