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Mid-year exam time is well and truly hereÌýand with it,Ìýall the expected stress, tearsÌýand late-night snacks.

Thankfully, I’m now doing post-grad where, blissfully, there are no exams.ÌýBut whatÌýI can offer is the lived experience of someone who spent 5 years (10 SWOTVAC periods!!!)Ìýcompleting a double degreeÌýand in doing so, learnt the immeasurable valueÌýof aÌýstudy routine that features breaks.

Some people (me) enjoyÌýstudying at uni or a café or a library (somewhere outside of my own house), while others prefer to study from home and save the commute time. Whatever your preferred method, I always found itÌýreally beneficial and clarifying to take a break every so often. For me, this meantÌýworking in solid 45ish-minute blocks and then having a short break of 10ishÌýminutes to take a breath, reply to messages, make a cup of tea,Ìýetc.ÌýThis sort of timeframe may not suitÌýeveryone but I’d suggest trialling a few variations to see what works best for you.

I also think that a healthy and sustainable routine requires more than just a quickÌýbreak here or there. For me, it always requiredÌýmovement. Throughout the bulk of my studies, I wouldÌýtypically break myÌýdays into blocks. I might spend 2-3Ìýhours at the uni libraryÌýthen migrate to a café and spend the rest of my time there. Not only wouldÌýthis give me a wayÌýto structure my day, it allowedÌýme to punctuate it with activities: the walk from uni to my café of choice and the knowledge that my next cup of coffee is just around the corner. These things are smallÌýbut they’re importantÌýbecause they reassure theÌýbrain that itÌýwon’t just be stuck in the same place at the same table staring at the same screen for tooÌýlong.

This might not work for everyone.ÌýSome people might just want to buckle in and get the work done. If that’s your preference, great, but for some of us, breaks are importantÌýand they should beÌýencouraged. Don’t let the guilt of not doing something ‘productive’ all the time make you feel stressedÌýor like you’re failing. Studying isn’t just about the work,Ìýit’s about howÌýyouÌýfeel about the work. That means listening to your body and letting itÌýguide you.