How trying too hard can undermine your success

When you’re feeling worried, it can be hard to learn. I experienced this firsthand when I was an exchange student living abroad. When I was 16, I travelled to the south of Italy to live in a small village called Spinazzola. This had been my dream, and my parents forked out over $2,000 to make […]

How to mentally and physically prepare yourself for an exam

Exams are an intense experience. This means you need to prepare yourself mentally and physically for them. You can work so hard to memorise large quantities of information for an exam, but if you’re not mentally and physically prepared, all that hard work can sadly go to waste. When it comes time to take your […]

How to harness the enormous power of the baby step

A few years ago I received a gift from my PhD supervisor . . . A pair of two miniature Dutch clogs. It was a gentle reminder that I needed to take baby steps to finish my PhD. At the time, I was touched by the gift (the clogs looked so sweet). But I also […]

When winging it no longer works: How to have a study breakthrough

Most of us can wing it up until the end of year 10. We can get by doing the bare minimum. Read over your notes a few times. Highlight a few things. We’re good to go for the test! So when this approach no longer works in upper school, many students are confused. It’s a […]