With all the options out there, sometimes it’s difficult to figure out what the best plan is for you. Should I study for 3 months vs 5 months, should I schedule 1 day a week that I can dedicate to studying vs trying to fit one more thing into an already busy day, and what should I do if I miss a day or 5? Should I scrap it and start again?
Break down your goals.
Much like writing a dissertation or running a marathon, studying for the EPPP is best accomplished one step at a time. So you’ll want a plan that incorporates larger, long-term goals as well as specific and reasonable daily tasks. Think about it like GPS, you can have turn-by-turn directions, but it also helps to know the destination, so you know where you’re going and how to plan your trip.
Be flexible.
You’re not studying in a vacuum, so it’s best to allow for disruptions, life events, or just being tired. If you create an air-tight schedule and miss a day or something happens, then that tends to create anxiety around tasks stacking up and feeling like you can’t get out from under it. Approach each day with flexibility and start looking at tasks in terms of time and effort. On days that you have back-to-back clients for 12 hours, you might not be in a good place to read 15 pages, but you can pull out flashcards and do a brief review of the previous day, take a short quiz, or start an outline to prime you for your upcoming readings. Start asking yourself, what can I do that still moves in the direction of my goals, but also honors my current situation?
Prioritize quality over quantity.
Aim for meaningful study time, even if it’s short bursts of 15-30 minutes spread throughout the day. Sometimes people think marathon study sessions or large chunks of time (4-8 hours/day) is what’s needed to be effective, but in reality, our brains do better with smaller chunks. You don’t want to get into the habit of just logging hours if you’re struggling to learn or recall what you just read – it just results in more frustration in the long run.