The most important element in my preparation was adaptability.
I had tried and tested the time based and timetable based approach. However, despite trying it every now and then, I was failing at making considerable progress and continued to be disappointed at myself.
In this trial and error method, I have refined the approach and found great success. Let me share the basic principles that I adhere to in my studies.
- Instead of taking a time based approach (that I will study “x” hours a day, I resort to target based plans ( I will complete this part of the syllabus by Monday)
- Do not micro-plan more than a week ahead and macro-plan more than a month ahead. Your study requirement will continuously change over the period of study. I have seen many aspirants draw up an excel sheet and trying to come up with a schedule for an entire year. Complete waste of time, I should say. A year is a long time and you will realise in no time that the requirements of this exam is very dynamic. You can’t plan that long ahead if you want to stay in the game.
- Don’t micromanage your time: 6–8 Newspaper, 8–8:30 Breakfast…If you are such a planner, you are setting up yourself for disappointment and failure. This kind of micromanagement is possible for a short period of time, but if you are looking at a long span, it is drab, inefficient and monotonous.
- Micromanage targets:- If I plan to finish say “Union Government” portion in Laxmikant, I set sub targets for that section. I will plan that I will finish “President” chapter today, Vice-President for tomorrow, etc. This is much better than abstract goals like 8AM- 12PM : Indian Polity.
- Stick to the syllabus, save unnecessary time wastage: People think Civil Service Preparation means reading everything about everything. There is no greater myth. For example, for Indian Independence Movement, it is enough to just read Bipan Chandra. No need to read every textbook out there and every single paragraph in that text. What you need to understand are the different strands in the national movement. In short, you are not expected to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of things.
- Quality over Quantity: Even if you read for just one hour a day, it is the quality of the material that you read that matters. Not quantity. Consider this. A person who reads the entire economic survey the day before the exam vs a person who simply reads bullet points on the same. Which is a better approach? Definitely the second one. You cover more ground and you get all the main points. So focus on quality and judge the quality of study depending on which phase of the exam you are in.
- Take well deserved breaks: This may seem counterintuitive, but burn out is a real issue in this exam. If you are a serious aspirant, you will find yourself reading same material over and over again. This would be boring and after some time, your mind simply refuses to read just one more line. Take well deserved breaks which helps you recharge yourself. Trust me on this, but you are not wasting your time. Only a sharp axe can cut wood.
- Mix Subjects everyday:- I have seen people trying to finish an entire text book in one week. This is a very inefficient method of study and extremely unproductive. It is always better to acquire information on a subject over small time periods over a longer duration. Try to study some polity, some history, some economics everyday instead of just a long day of a single subject. Studying becomes more fun this way.
- Always remember why you are doing this: Your greatest enemy is procrastination. Thinking that I will just push my target further by one day, or I will just skip this portion for today and add it to tomorrow’s target. This is setting yourself up for failure. Be principled. The plan that you make is a commitment that you are making to yourself. Adhere to it even if it means missing out your best friends wedding.
- Be your own Boss: Make plans that suit you. Do not make plans based on your institute’s test series or your friend’s study plan. You are the one who is going to study, hence make plans to suit your personality.
And one final word. If your girlfriend calls, pick up the damn phone. Screw the plan!!