Study for a major test without burning out

Deciding to pursue any kind of certification that requires passing a major test is a big undertaking. It requires commitment — of time, resources, and attention. And this is why many of us dread the process. The mind will make up endless excuses and justifications. “Studying and working at the same time is so hard.” “I need to spend time with my family and partner.” “I’m too busy with my spiritual path”. “I was planning on going on vacation the month of the test.” “I just simply don’t have time!” Then the excuses hook us, our natural impulses and patterns take over, we take the easy way out, and don’t end up even trying to achieve the goal. I know, because I made many excuses! It’s an endless cycle. It took me nine months to actually take the test after I had initially signed up. I let procrastination and stories take over.

What follows is what worked for me in making the process of studying for a big test a healthy experience. It doesn’t include study tips (yes, mnemonic devices helped and so did certain books, but that’s not the focus of this short blog post. And, just for reference, I studied over 100 hours for this test, which was a comfortable amount). Instead, it includes some considerations for pursuing any kind of typically stressful event in a healthy way that doesn’t result in burnout.

This simple reframe freed me. My efforts were to serve a higher ideal, and I no longer expected a particular outcome. I could honestly say I went into the test knowing that if I didn’t pass, I would not be devasted. I would be sad, of course! But I deeply felt that passing did not define me because I had already met my goal of trying my best.

Keep a consistent lifestyle. I attribute lifestyle consistency to being the most important thing that helped me stay healthy while studying for over 100 hours. I remember in college where I used to pull all-nighters and skip meals for the two weeks leading up to test time. It never helped and had me zapped of energy, unable to fulfill regular obligations because I was sleeping at all sort of wacky hours of the day. I did not want to regress back to this.

So, I did not change anything about my schedule— I ate at the same hours, continued to cook for myself every day, slept at the same hours, meditated at the same hours. I still got outside, moved, and saw my partner/people that mean a lot to me. These were major priorities for me. Consistency provides predictability in the day, which allowed me to plan a studying around my regular life schedule rather than vice versa. This meant that my priorities were preserved and that my life actually did not change very much! This helped me deflate the significance of the upcoming test in the grander scheme of my health and my life. I believe that if my whole life schedule changed, the test would have been blown out of proportion in my mind.

Some other examples of concrete things I did to declutter include making sure to keep my study space tidy and my entire apartment clean. I studied in a different part of my apartment that had fewer technological distractions. I stayed away from social media and the news. I did not check my phone first thing in the morning. When I studied, I kept it far away from me. I still saw my partner and friends but did cut down on social time — though, not to the extent that I feel like I was disconnected, thus maintaining healthy relationships. In the words of Dr. Chinnaiyan, time opens up when you declutter — and I found this to be entirely true!

Reflect. Content-wise, I found it helpful to reflect and review what I studied that day — a tip my younger brother gave me! I would also take time at the beginning and end of the day to reflect on my process. I deeply believe that maintaining a set time for stillness and practice is very important for this deep reflection to occur. It helped me offload thoughts that would have otherwise just built up (thus, building up stress!). It also helped me to constantly improve my process and take responsibility. If I didn’t have a particularly productive study day, for example, why was that? I could pause and reflect instead of shifting blame onto “work” or “distractions”. Some important questions that came up for me: How judgmental am I getting with myself? With others? Am I minding my own business and staying within my own process? What am I afraid of?

Have fun! I go back to my original inquiry: How could I enjoy this experience to the fullest, in a way where I feel joy and deep involvement? With anything, the perspective to take things lightly, without attachment to outcome, and with the intention to just enjoy is available. I resolved to take this perspective from the get-go; life is simply too short to do otherwise! I immersed myself into the information I was studying, rather than resisting it. I took it as an opportunity to be curious and learn new things about a career I have been in for over eight years. “How amazing that I have this opportunity!” I thought. It became fun to test my dedication and discipline, rather than a chore. Right before I sat down for the test, I had a solo dance party to my favorite song at the moment. When I got halfway through the very difficult test, I thought, “well wow, there’s no way I’m passing, so I might as well have fun!” This helped me avert overwhelm in the moment, and I answered the questions with ease. Fun and laughter are essential parts to getting through this process in a healthy way!

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