Procrastination and Revision Tips

There's no denying that when it comes to procrastination I am a pro. I seem to have two voices in my head telling me to do two very different things. My 'angel' voice orders me to do my work because I need to get into university. Whilst my 'devil' voice tells me that spending hours on Youtube and scrolling endlessly through Tumblr is  a much better way to spend my time. I'll let you guess which one tends to win! 

Now I realise I may sound a little crazy with voices in my head but I'm not I promise. I do however have a problem with procrastination. I HAVE TO STOP and I think the issue lies with my phone. So, I've decided to make a change. 

I can't mess up my exams this year. I don't have a safety net to fall back on. If I don't get my grades I don't go to uni this year simple as that. I think the scare factor of knowing that is starting to motivate me to do my work. I don't want to disappoint anyone but most of all I don't want to disappoint myself.

Now I know I'm not alone in this situation. So many people struggle to get down to revision by I find once you start it's quite easy to get into it so here are my top tips:

1. Have a clear desk space- there's nothing worse than working in a messy, cluttered area 
2. Be organised- keep all files organised and clearly labelled and ordered so you know where everything is 
3. Have regular breaks- make sure you get up and move around because your legs will start to seize up! Fresh air is always good too
4. Stay hydrated- water is essential so keep your glass topped up 
5. Make your revision space light- there's nothing worse than a dark, dingy area. If it's light you're more likely to be motivated and less likely to want to sleep.
6. Do past papers- this might not work for everyone but I honestly believe past papers are the best method of revision. They show you exam formats and you can practice papers under times conditions. They'll also flag up the areas you're weakest in. Reading the mark schemes and examiners reports are carry useful too. They'll all be found on exam board websites (AQA, Edexcel etc)
7. Don't panic- stressing and panicking only makes revision less effective. Everyone will have days where nothing is going in and revision is just not happening and that is fine! Take a break, go outside, meet friends or just simply do something relaxing to take your mind off it. When you next sit down to work I can assure you you'll be straight back into revision!
8. Work with friends-Last year I had some revision days with friends where we'd take our books, go on walks and test each other. It was nice to have a change of scenery and testing each other helps to ensure you both learn everything! (having someone to revise with also makes it a lot less lonely!) 
9. Exercise- even if it is just a 10 minute walk, getting fresh air and moving around will clear your head and help you to focus more when you get back to revision.
10. Eat- Obviously eating is essential but I know I can't concentrate unless I've eaten. Foods like blueberries, strawberries and carrots are my favourite because I quite like to snack during revision and it's better than gorging on chocolate and sweets (as much as I'd love to!). Breakfast is so important as well because it sets you up for the day ahead. Slow release foods like porridge are really good and you can mix up what you have with it each day.

I hope these tips have helped, if you have any tips for fellow students please write them in the comments below!

Happy revising everyone! 

Thanks for reading

Charlotte

XO

Things That Make Me Happy 3

The warmth of the sun on my run 

Going to Seville 

Feeling accomplished

Knowing I made someone happy

Looking back at old photos and reminiscing

Thinking about the future 

Setting goals

A cup of tea

Baking cakes (and eating them obviously!) 

Being organised (until recently!) 

Writing

Making people proud

Seeing my brother grow up, mature and achieve things

Cuddles with my dog

Taking nice photos

My family

The thought of racing this summer

I realise I've been AWOL recently but school and revision is taking a lot of time and any left over is going into rowing and trying to sleep so I'm sorry for the lack of posts, I really miss it! I'm trying to plan my days better to give me some writing time but it is so difficult! i'll try my hardest though!

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte

XO

March Favourites

The clocks have gone forward and I couldn't be happier, the evenings are lighter and the days are longer. I'm going to Seville on Tuesday for a training camp and while the weather isn't going to be brilliant I am VERY excited! But for now here are my March Favourites!

I don't actually have any beauty favourites because I haven't changed anything except the shade of Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer. I did have it in Soft Beige which is my foundation shade for Rimmel's Match Perfection foundation but as I use the concealer under my eyes I think it was too dark. So, after watching Fabulous Hannah's Makeup collection video and saw she was roughly the same skin tone as me, I bought the concealer in Ivory instead. It's definitely a better shade to brighten under my eyes and I really like the concealer's smooth application and it has a really nice finish. My two colours are Go Wild-er-ness a pretty purple and Sweet Retreat which is a nice pinky shade. 

Rimmel has probably been my make up brand of the month because I've also fallen in love with Rita Ora's new nail polish collection. I think there are about 10 or so beautiful, bright summery shades which dry really quickly. The applicator brush is quite wide so it gives a really good coverage and two coats creates a really bright colour. Having said that, they do seem to chip easily but I've been finding this with all nail polishes recently so it may be my nails and the fact that I do use my hands a lot (especially when rowing) and because I've run out of top coat too! But if you're looking for quick-drying summer shades then these are perfect!

Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit Face scrub has long been my favourite face scrub (perhaps mainly for the gorgeous sweet smell) but I've also just purchased the face wash which I use in the mornings and evenings. At first I thought it was making me breakout because I suddenly had about 4 different spots on my face but I'm pretty sure it was due to stress and hormones. I love how soft my face feels after I've used it and the smell is quite long lasting.

My favourite app of the month is Heart Rate which uses the camera on your phone to measure your heart rate. There are different settings which you can chose when you've measured your heart rate e.g. resting, tired (less than 6hours), post-exercise, just woken up etc which allows you to have an average heart rate for different activities. I like using it when I go to bed as I tend to do deep breathing exercises to help me sleep and I also used it when I was stressed and quite anxious and my resting heart rate had increased by 20rpm! 

My resting heart rate.

James Bay has been a love of mine for months now and he's finally getting the recognition he deserves. His beautiful soulful voice seems to put me under a spell and I could listen to him for hours and hours and hours. My favourite songs are: Incomplete, Let It Go and Hold Back the River. I cannot recommend his album Chaos and The Calm enough! It's perfect revision music too! 

One of my favourite songs!

As well as James Bay, I always have grapes when I'm revising. This may sound a little odd but I think they're the perfect revision food. They're healthier than sweets or chocolate and they hydrate you as well. Water is also ESSENTIAL, not just for revision of course you need to keep hydrated throughout the day but water is a necessity during revision. It does sometimes lead to lots of toilet breaks though! 

Grapes and Bagels are a perfect breakfast combo!

My final favourite is my dog which may seem strange but I've spent long evenings cuddled up with him on the sofa watching an episode of PLL or House to just relax. Its so calming and I think he likes the company too! 

What's been your favourite thing in March? Any beauty recommendations would be much appreciated!! 

Thanks for reading!

Charlotte

XO