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Why This Post Matters For Fast Gamsat PrepWill-power is a limited resource – and if you study for too long without a break, your study efficiency drops, which will hit you harder especially if you’re rushed for time. This blog outlines a simple way to balance full-speed study, with just enough rest to keep you powering on sustainably, as well as tips to get the most out of the technique. |
Who This Advice Best ServesPeople studying for Section 3 – lots of long study blocks People who are rushed for prep time People who have trouble motivating themselves to start studying People who get distracted easily People who study for a long time, but don’t feel like it’s helping
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ﾟ｡(⌐ÒДÓ)ﾟﾟ
Textbook, groceries, textbook, text back, textbook….
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)つ
Hey Gamster, what’s wrong?
つ(⌐⊙Д⊙)
AHHH! Oh, Will…. Nothing – just trying to study this textbook….
(^ΦдΦ^)
“Trying to do” is not the same as “doing” – did you not learn anything from Grand-master Yoda?
(⌐OꇴO)
Snarksy! (Pat pat pat) Well, the thing is, I’m having trouble focusing….
(ˇωˇ)
That’s quite common actually – how long have you been studying for now?
(⌐O_O)
Like, 1 hour. Ish?
( ´・ω)
And when was the last time you took a break?
(⌐O_O)ノ
Well, I quickly checked Instagram just then – does that count?
(ױ ﾟーﾟ)
No, it doesn’t – that’s just not focusing…
( ﾟーﾟ) (O_O¬) …(^ΦωΦ^) ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
…
( -_-)
Ok ok, let’s start by talking about willpower, then about how tomatoes can help you to study.
(⌐⊙_⊙)
Tomatoes?
(◡_◡)ノ🍅
(Nods) Tomatoes.
You Don’t Have Unlimited Willpower
( ﾟωﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ✧˖°🧠✧˖°
In Psychology, there is a concept called “ego depletion” (ego means “will of the self” here, so it’s kinda just a different name for willpower).
( ﾟωﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO (ღ〃˘⌣˘〃ღ) ███METER███
The concept is that willpower is a limited resource, and can be used up – and when it’s used up, your self-control tanks, and you can’t adult as well.
( ￣ω￣) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ /(.□. /) ██▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
Just think of getting home from a long day of work or uni – you’re more likely to throw temper tantrums, and to rage-quit tasks if you can’t do them in a few goes.
(^ↀДↀ^) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ┌[ ʘ̆ ʘ̆ ]┐ 🍨🍨🍨 █▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
And you’re less likely to avoid the fate of eating that tub of icecream and that jar of chop-chip cookies and that pan of brownies, or to keep it together when it comes to not having Resting Bitch Face.
Σ( ﾟ∇ﾟ)
(1 litre tub?)
(^ ° ω ° ^( ﾟ∇ﾟ)
(Pffft, please. 4L tubs – at least – and that’s a plural on tubs.)
(⌐O_O)✧
And you can’t study as well, right?
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO ヽ(｀Д´)⊃━☆ﾟ. * ･ ｡ﾟ(( ( ( ((🧠)) ) ) ))
Eeeeexactly – focusing on studying takes willpower too – as you’re making your brain know stuff that literally wasn’t here before.
(^ ⓛ ω ⓛ^)
(Literally [Hitler])
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO [≡] (⇀‸↼ )???
And when you study for too long, you start sucking more and more at focusing.
(⌐⊙_⊙)
But, but I don’t have time not to study for too long.
( ´∀`)
That’s fine, you’ll get to put in your long hours of study – the key is studying smart though.
( ^･ｪ･^)
And that key is tomatoes.
(⌐⊙_⊙)
Tomatoes?
( ^･ｪ･^)ฅ🍅
(Nods) Tomatoes.
The Pomodoro Technique: The Key to Maintaining Your Willpower
(⌐⊙_⊙)
What about tomatoes?
( ^･ｪ･^)
Eating them.
(⌐⊙_⊙)
Wait, really?
( ^ – ｪ – ^)
No.
( ﾟ∇ﾟ)
What Snarksy is referring to is is the Pomodoro Technique. It was invented by some Italian dude (Francesco Cirillo) when he was in uni back in the 1980s.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO [25min (⌐ὸ⍸ό)] -> [5min (⌐º﹃º)]
The key to the technique is that you study for 25 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO …[(⌐ὸ⍸ό)][(⌐º﹃º)] [(⌐ὸ⍸ό)][(⌐º﹃º)] [(⌐ὸ⍸ό)][(⌐⨂ω⨂)] [(⌐ὸ⍸ό)][(⌐º﹃º)]…
And after a few of these study sessions (like say, 5), you then take a longer, 15min break.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO [(⌐ὸ⍸ό)] ████████▒▒ -> [(⌐º﹃º)] █████▒▒▒▒▒
-> [(⌐ό⍸ὸ)] ████████▒▒▒ -> [(⌐⨂ω⨂)] ███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ -> [(⌐ὸ⍸ό)] ███████████
The point is that, you study at full focus for a period that can maintain, then have just enough rest that you don’t tire out, or drop your performance.
(⌐O_O)
Ok, but why did Snarksy refer to tomatoes?
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ 🍅=⏰
Because Francesco used a tomato-shaped timer when using this technique himself.
(⌐O_O) Ok.
( ﾟーﾟ) (O_O¬)
…
( ´ー`) (O_O¬)
…
(´σー｀) (O_O¬)
(Picks nose)
(O_O¬)
Why is it called the Pomodoro Technique?
(´σ།ー｀)ノ🍅🇮🇹
Because pomodoro is Italian for tomato.
🤌(⊙ヮ⊙¬)🤌
OOOOHHHHHHHHHH
ꉂ(＾།་＾)っ
The Pomodoro technique is powerful enough in its own right, but here are a few tips to make you even more efficient with your GAMSAT prep….
Tip 1: Foot-In-The-Door Thinking
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO (╬⌐ʘᗝʘ) [≡] [≡] [≡]
You know those days when you don’t feel like studying. When you’re like “I have to study how many hundreds of pages today?”, or “I need to watch how many hours of lectures?”…
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO [≡] [≡] [≡] 🍦( ⌐ꉺᗜꉺ) 📱
…And then you’re like “Fuck that”, and before you know it, it’s lunch time, and you’re still on your phone?
(⌐OДO)
S-Sometimes?
(ʘ▽ʘ)
Only sometimes?
(⌐⊙Д⊙)
Maybe often sometimes a lot? (MOSAL)
(￣ω￣)
(Shrugs) That’s because you’re not breaking goals into manageable pieces.
_ . , . .
* / \_ * / \_ _ * * /\’__ *
/ \ / \, (( . _/ / \ *’.
. /\/\ /\/ :’ __ \_ ` _^/ ^/ `–.
/ \/ \ _/ \-‘\ * /.’ ^_ \_ .’\ *
/\ .- `. \/ \ /==~=-=~=-=-;. _/ \ -. `_/ \
/ `-.__ ^ / .-‘.–\ =-=~_=-=~=^/ _ `–./ .-‘ `-
/ `. / / `.~-^=-=~=^=.-‘ ‘-._ `._
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ( `▽´)ᕗ🏳
Say you’re climbing a big-ass mountain: If you’re on the base, and you point at the top (which you can’t even see) and go “Imma plant a flag on that junk over there!”
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ( X▽X)/ .-‘.–\
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the size of the whole journey, and quit half-way.
(^ – д – ^)
(Half-way?)
(〃ﾟ∀ﾟ(^ – 3 – ^)
(More like one-tenth of the way actually)
_ * 🏳 . .
* / \( `ω)/ \_ _ * * /\’__ *
🏳 \ / \, (( . _/ / \ *’`д-^.
. /\/\ /\/ :’ __ \_ ` _^/ ^/ `–.
🏳/ \/ \ _/ \-‘\ * /.’ ^_ \_ .’\ *
/\ .- `. \/ \ /==~=-=~=-=-;. _/ \ -. `_/ \
/ `-._🏳 ^ / .-‘.–\ =-=~_=-=~=^/ _ `–./ .-‘ `-
/ `. / / `.~-^=-=~=^=.-‘ ‘-._ `._
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO
But if you make your goal to climb to that slightly higher point over there, and once you get there, you then set a slightly higher point as the goal, then there’s less pressure in starting, continuing, and achieving the goal.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO [(⌐º﹃º)] Oo｡(⌐ὸ⍸ό) [≡]
In the same way, when you’re low on motivation, just remind yourself that you just need to study for 25 minutes, then you can take a break. It makes it way easier to start studying that way.
(⌐O_O)
Like that saying “just put one foot in front of the other”?
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Yes, but less masochistic, since you actually give yourself a goal of how many steps to take, before taking a break
Tip 2: Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ‰±∛≠≈πχ∞≤ (⌐☆ᗜ☆) [≡][≡][🀅]
On the opposite end of things, there are times when you’re just super on a roll – like you’re understanding everything smoothly, and really getting a sense of achievement with studying.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO \ \ \\\୧(⌐ಠ益ಠ)୨/// / / ███████████ ███
Or you had a super-healthy meal, and your energy level is like more than 100%; or when you’re in “flow” or “the zone”, the holy grail of mental states.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO [(⌐☆ᗜ☆)][(⌐☆ᗜ☆)][(⌐☆ᗜ☆)][(⌐☆﹃☆)]
When you’re on a roll, don’t feel like you have to take a rest out of obligation. Just skip a few breaks, until you feel like you should take one.
(⌐O_O)
How do I know when I “should” take a break?
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ???(⌐☆⌓☆) [≡] █████▒▒▒▒▒
(Nods) Even if you want to continue studying, if you you feel your concentration slipping away, or feel you’re becoming more easily (hey some lint!) distracted, you should take a break: Insisting on studying at low efficiency won’t help you.
Tip 3: Talk To The Hand
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (V●ᴥ●V)
The point of pom tech (pomeranian technology) is to study at the highest efficiency – without distractions.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO { _〆(°Д°≡°Д°) [≡] } = X
And no, you should NOT multitask – multitasking is a lie. You maybe can multitask for stuff that totally doesn’t matter – like using your phone while avoiding other pedestrians – but it is super not worth taking risks on something as high-stakes and performance-related as GAMSAT study.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO ( ◎⃝⃘∀◎⃝⃘)//⨂ ≠ (ˇωˇ) (￣3￣)//⨂
(Kinda like how you might drive like a crazy person by yourself, but not when your loved ones are in the car.)
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So, what happens when the world conspires to distract you?
(^ – д – ^)
You tell them to go eat a dick.
(－‸ლ)
You… tell them to occupy their time until you can attend to them.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉΣ( ﾟдﾟ) [≡]
Our boy Fran knew about this issue, and came up with the tactic “Inform, Negotiate, Call Back” – when ppl interrupt you:
- Inform the person that you’re working
- Negotiate a time to get back to them
- Tell them you’ll call them back
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO ┬┴┬┴┤ ✧(･_[≡├┬┴┬┴ (･∀･≡･∀･)???
Basically, delay them until your rest time.
(⌐O_O) ｡oO ┬┴┬┴┤(･∀(ʘ_[≡├┬┴┬┴
What if my friend can’t wait?
( ´∀`) ｡oO [≡](ὸ⍸ό ) …(T∀T)
Then they’re attention whores – break up with them.
(⌐O_O) ｡oO ┬┴┬┴┤◕ᗜ(♡_[≡├┬┴┬┴
What if my partner can’t wait?
( – ∀ -) ｡oO [≡](ό⍸ὸ ) …(TᗜT)
Then they’re over-attached – tell them you need time away from each other to find yourself.
(⌐O_O) ｡oO ┬┴┬┴┤(≧Д(ʘ_[≡├┬┴┬┴
What if my baby can’t wait?
( •̀_•́)ヾ ｡oO [≡] ( ･_･つ(˃̣̣̥Д˂̣̣̥)
Attend to it then – although if you have no one to help you with your baby, you’re gonna have one hell of a time when you get into med.
(⌐O_O) ｡oO ┬┴┬┴┤ (ㆆ_[≡├┬┴┬┴
What if my heart attack can’t wait?
( ఠ_ఠ) ｡oO [≡] (╬ㆆ_ㆆ)📱
I, I guess call an ambulance then.
( ఠ_ఠ) (O_O¬)
…
( ఠ_ఠ) (O_O¬)
…
( ఠ(^ΦдΦ^)(O_O¬)
(Seriously, how old are you?)
ఠ_(^- д -^)(O_O¬)
(You better have ambulance cover)
_ఠ(^- ω -^)ฅO_O¬)
(I bet you have hospital cover already)
Tip 4: Jot Down Your Distracting Thoughts
(^ΦωΦ^) ｡oO ( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (▼∀▼ﾒ)
But what if you’re greatest enemy… is yourself?
Σ( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ┬┴┬┴┤∀▼)ᕗ
(Hey! Spoilers!)
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)❄️🧠❄️
In that case, do the same as with other ppl – put your brain on-hold.
(⌐⊙_⊙)
That sounds like it suspiciously involves comas and ventilators.
_〆(^ΦωΦ^) ♪
(Not if we help you fill out your DNR form properly)
( ´∀`)づ
(Hand-waves) There’s no need for things to get to that stage (yet) – what I mean is taking the load off your brain.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO∀ﾟ)✧ ﾟ｡(⌐ÒДÓ)ﾟﾟ
You know how you were muttering to yourself before – those different tasks?
(⌐O_O)
Yeah, I thought of them while studying.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Trying to remember unrelated stuff while studying, is like trying to juggle while doing squat lifts (kinda like this, but faster, and still holding the barbell with your hands): Sucking at both tasks is pretty much guaranteed.
(^- ω -^)
(You’ll also hurt yourself – because you deserve it.)
Σ( ´・∀)
(Snarks! Gamsters already suffer enough as it is….)
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So again, don’t multitask. Concentrate on studying, and put off everything else.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO (ὸ⍸ό )/ …(TᗜT) …(T∀T)
For social distractions, it means telling ppl to wait till you’re free.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ｡oO _〆(ὸ⍸ό )
For mental distractions, it means writing them down.
(⌐O_O)
So, you mean to write distracting thoughts down?
(・_・)ゞ
It’s kinda hard to define what “distracting” means – for our purposes here, just write down any thoughts that are unrelated to what you’re studying right at that moment.
(⌐O_O)
So for example, if I’m studying Physics, and something I study reminds me of an insight about Chemistry, I should write that down?
(+･`ω･´)
Exactly – write it down, then get back to studying ASAP.
✧˖° (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) °˖✧
When you write stuff down, you put them out of your mind, since your brain no longer feels like it needs to hold onto it in case you forget.
_〆(˘⌣˘ღ)°˖✧
This is one of the reasons why journalling helps with stress relief – you put your thoughts and feeling down on paper, and suddenly you no longer need to hold onto it in your head.
_〆(^･ω･ฅ(˘⌣˘ღ)
(Turning all that jumble in your head into lines of logically coherent text also helps you to process your experiences, which is also therapeutic).
Things To Do Later
Σ( ・д・ღ)
Oh, and after you write those tasks out, do them during the break, or when you have time for them.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ❏
I recommend using post-it notes (link) – and only put one thing per square – that way, you don’t have a long-ass list staring you in the face, and distracting you as you study.
🗑 ◽ヾ ( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ❏❏
It also makes it easier to reorganise your list, to sort through stuff you can do during breaks, and stuff you have to do later; and when you do a task, you can just bin it.
Write It Out Later
(⌐O_O)
What if the idea involves a lot of words? Do I write all of it down there and then?
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) 🐝
If you have narcissism and OCD like me, and think that your ideas are the bee’s knees–
(^ΦдΦ^) 🐩
-And the dog’s bollocks–
(⌐OꇴO) 🐈
-Or the cat’s PJs!-
( ﾟдﾟ) 👵
-And the tuckshop lady’s cankles, and you have to note your ideas down in painstaking detail, then just write down a few words that’s enough to remind yourself of the idea, then write it out in full during your break.
_〆( ͡ ิ෴ ͡ ิ) ☭
For example, for an insight about bringing back the prolatariat like it’s 1917, just write “prol 1917”, then expand upon it to your heart’s content later.
Tip 5: Get Up During Your Break
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oO (￣∇￣)
A common thing ppl do during breaks, is to stay where they are. They’re probably at their computer already, so they just open up social media and derp away.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ) (⌐O_O) ｡oOヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ┌┛Σ (ノ` ∇ ´)ノ
Don’t do that – actually get away from your desk. You can use still use social media, or watch videos – just do so on your phone.
(⌐O_O)
Why shouldn’t we just stay at our desk?
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
A few reasons:
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Firstly, when you get up and walk around, you’re exercising – or at least increasing your circulation – that helps to refresh you.
_̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ᕕᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Also, the change of scenery will help your brain remember better: You know how when you do the same thing for too long, or stay somewhere too long, your experience starts to blur together? Changing your environment gives your brain different reference points to attach to your memories, making them easier to remember.
┬┬✧(ò_ó )
And also, by leaving your desk when you’re not studying, you’re conditioning yourself to associate your desk with studying – so you’ll automatically become more geared towards studying at your desk, like finding it easier to focus.
(^･ω･^)
It’s just like sleep hygiene, where you keep your bed for only sleep and secks.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Yeah, so like study hygiene.
(⌐⊙△⊙)
S-so I should keep my desk for studying… and sex?
(〃￣ω￣〃)
I’m not saying that you should….
(⌐O△O)✧
But you’re not saying that I shouldn’t too….
(〃￣ω￣〃)ゞ
Exactly.
*:.｡(^･ω･^)｡.:*･
(This Gamster learns really bloody fast)
How To Apply The Pomodoro Technique
(⌐O_O)
Ok, I’m sold – how do I start?
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)ง
Well, there are a few ways:
Method 1: Phone Apps
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
There are dedicated Pomodoro apps out there – I personally use Be Focused on iOS, but if you look up “Pomodoro” or “Tomato Timer” in your friendly app store, you’ll find a ton of them, both for Apple and Android.
(ˇωˇ)
Just use a free one – you just need something that counts down 25 minutes, followed by 5 minutes – there’s no reason to have to pay for advanced functions.
Method 2: Timer Function on Devices
(￣ω￣)
Just use the countdown function on your phone and watch – I recommend the 25min countdown on your phone, and 5min countdown on your watch, so you can go on your break and leave your phone charging at your desk.
Method 3: Physical Timer
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ⏳
Physical timers are pretty cheap on eBay – you can grab two, and set one to countdown from 25 minutes, and the other to countdown from 5 minutes, to save you having to alternate setting 25min and 5min on the same timer.
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ🍅
If you want to go old-school, you can get a tomato timer like our OG Fran did.
Summary
| Will-power is a limited resource
When it’s low, you can’t study efficiently. Balancing bursts of study with short breaks is the key to maintaining willpower at high levels The Pomodoro technique is the most common, with 25min study then 5min rest (1x session), and a longer 15min break every few sessions |
Pomodoro Technique TipsTip 1: When low on motivation to study, just coax yourself that you only need to study for 25min, then you can take a break Tip 2: When you’re overflowing with focus and progress, feel free to skip a few breaks Tip 3: Deal with social distractions by putting people on hold, and following up with them later Tip 4: Deal with mental distractions by writing a quick note of your new thoughts, and processing them later Tip 5: Leave your desk during your break, to get some incidental exercise, help with memory, and keep efficiency up. |
Ways To Apply Pomodoro TechniqueMethod 1: Specialised apps (go with free ones) Method 2: Timers on your phone or watch Method 3: Physical timers, including tomato timers |
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
What are your experiences with the Pomodoro Technique, or timed study sessions? Leave a comment below!