Apple All Day Keeps Success at Bay

Now that you've had to face the realities of going a year without chocolate, practising the piano for 20 minutes everyday, or becoming a gym junkie, we at the OTC decided to present you with an alternative New Year's Resolutions for 2022. Change your relationship with your phone! The following suggestions primarily aim to support maximal achievement in the academic sphere, but - if implemented properly - will hep you to organise all aspects of your life, and ultimately enjoy a happier, stress-free year! If you’re a throwback to the 1980s and have dodged the smartphone revolution, then check out some of our other content, including this Revise Revising article on active recall!

1.     Don't use your phone before going to bed. This is SO important to a productive, healthy lifestyle, and really helped guide me to success. Staring at a screen in the 30 minutes before sleep - especially at mindless content like TikTok or Instagram - makes it harder to fall asleep my suppressing your melatonin secretion (check out this Harvard Uni article), which means that it is harder to rise early and operate efficiently the next day.

2.     The instant-gratification of our mobile devices throws off our dopamine systems, and can make it hard to pursue longer term rewards (like success in your exams!). And guess what! This dopamine loop is the same one harnessed by drugs including nicotine and cocaine. To try and combat this, it is important to maintain a strict schedule regulating your mobile phone use - and yes, picking it up to check the time every 30 seconds still counts!

3.     Use your phone productively! Nobody is saying mobiles are all bad, and though too much of a good thing can make you sick, using your phone to access useful content can boost your productivity. However, this requires discipline, and knowledge of where you can find useful resources to expand your mind and support your education. One such example is right here - the OTC blog! And stay tuned, because we'll soon be releasing a list of other online educational resources that we recommend.

Just in case you need any more convincing check out this great YouTube video by the brilliant Greg and Mitch, going through yet more reasons why a smartphone vacation could be a smart way to kick off your year.

 So there you have it! Maybe this won't inspire you to completely revolutionise your relationship with your mobile, but try starting small, and see what changes you can make in 2022. And remember, if you need personalised help with any academic discipline, we’ve got it covered - from simultaneous equations to Spanish verb conjugations! Find out our best-in-the-business prices here.

Happy New Year!