The long-awaited holiday break is almost upon us. For some of us dwelling in the northern hemisphere, snow has come down, covering the Christmas ornaments that decorate the streets. In this time of glee and gingerbread, it is of utmost importance that we do not become so entranced that we forget all about the IB! While we do need some well-deserved rest, we mustn’t fall behind. Especially the DP2 students that have mock exams must be well-prepared for 2023. Here are the 5 things you shouldn’t just happily forget about this break!
1. Set yourself up for holiday break success
It is easy to make empty promises to yourself and others. I will do at least 3 past papers in every subject! or I will revise every single day of the break! are easy to say but difficult to execute. Research shows that just saying you will do these things might lessen your probability of doing them. Instead, you can optimise your chances by preparing everything and priming your revision environment. For the cookery nerds amongst you, this is the mise en place for studying.
For example, if your goal is to do a bunch of past papers, print them out and put them in an easily accessible place. You want to lower the friction of beginning to study however possible. If you’re going to revise a little bit every day, set up a calendar on which you can set tick marks to keep yourself accountable. Get all of this ready before the break starts, or if worst comes to worst, right as it begins. The last thing you want to do is to make revision inaccessible. Even something as minor as putting your papers away in a drawer or closing down your notes on your computer can drastically lower your chances of sticking to your revision goals.
2. Get an accountability buddy
Having an accountability buddy when school is not there to motivate you is an excellent idea. An accountability buddy will keep you on track over the holiday break. You could ask your classmate to stick to the same study routines. Then, you check in on each other daily (or whatever you agree upon). The great thing about having someone else to keep you accountable is that the commitment feels more real. When it is just you to keep you in check, it is infinitely easier to shrug it off when you are about to miss a revision day. If you know that someone will ask you at the end of the day if you did the revision you promised them you would, you are more incentivised to do it.
The best accountability, though, is a tutor. You can check out your options for guaranteed high-quality tuition right here!
3. Relax and enjoy your family time this holiday break
I realise that I am preaching what sounds to be a rigorous revision period, not a relaxing break. What few people realise is that you can have a bit of both! Give yourself some dedicated time off, and truly block it off as “rest time”. This way, you avoid that annoying feeling of I should be doing more. Enjoy your holidays! You have worked hard this semester, so don’t burn yourself out.
4. Catch up on the material you have missed
If you are going to revise over the break, which I highly recommend you do, you should prioritise catching up on the material you might not have understood so well in class. You might as well get the most out of your revision!
Whip out the syllabus of that subject you feel most lost in and review the topics and subtopics, highlighting the ones you think you should revise. This way, you get an overview of where you should focus your energy. Take this as a sign to set up your retrospective revision table.
5. Don’t forget about CAS
Ending on a high note here, folks! Scrambling to get your CAS in order is not how you want to start 2023, trust me. I am speaking from experience. So, just go to the gym a few times; it’s good for you anyway! Or maybe relax by drawing a little doodle. Just remember to document what you would do to relax regardless, and CAS becomes much less stressful!
And that wraps up the list! Now, enjoy your holiday break whilst staying on top of the IB, so you can come back even stronger and crush the next year!
