Whether your goal is to beat the school's long jump record at the next sports day, pass your biology 'A'-level, or land the job of your dreams, it won't happen overnight - you've got work to do.
If you've been accepted onto your chosen university degree course, but on the premise you get 3 'A' levels at grade B, don't despair. It might seem like it's beyond the realms of all possibility, but with careful planning is there any reason why you can't at least try?
OK, so summer might be approaching, and with the unreliable British climate you may be tempted to seize any sunny opportunity to go to the park with your friends, and yes it does seem unfair when everyone in the world has finished their exams and is duly celebrating - except you.
But imagine a world where athletes and sports stars always gave into temptation and skipped their morning physio or training session. Athletes would be more no-class than world class, and would teams in the premiership really be worthy of the title? Just think how much more rewarding socialising or having an extra hour in bed at the weekend will be when you've done something worth being rewarded for.
OK. Rant over. Now it's time to get down to practicalities.
1. Write down and break down
2. Forewarned is forearmed
3. Plan ahead
4. Get drawing
5. Be realistic
6. Look after yourself
7. Be disciplined
8. Don't delay
9. Grin and bear it
10. Work together
1. Write down and break down: Think about what you want to achieve and write down what you need to revise, learn or practise to get there. For example, break your biology 'A' level syllabus down into subject areas such as health, genetics and ecology and think about the key concepts within them.
"If you're not consistent in what you're trying to do with a clear objective in mind, you won't do it, but if you are, there's no reason why anyone shouldn't get to that stage [the Olympics]. Justin Chaston, Steeple Chase.
2. Forewarned is forearmed: Just as tennis players might want to know what their next opponent's strengths and weaknesses are, or whether it's grass or clay, before going on court for the match, going into an exam or interview with an idea about the types and formats of questions you'll be asked will reduce the risk of a nasty and unwanted surprise. There's nothing worse than expecting a multiple choice test and instead being faced with essay questions. Have a look at previous exam papers - even set yourself a time limit and give them a go. Before a big job interview, ask your friends to give you a mock run with realistic questions from their experience.
3. Plan ahead: In an ideal world you might want a few weeks or even months to revise for exams, which is minimal compared with the years of training an athlete might put in before an event!
"The hard work and dedication was done years in advance and certainly months in advance for a particular season. I always work on a particular year at a time. But all the years build up and give you a strong background." Hayley Tullett, 1500m runner.
4. Get drawing: Draw up a timetable divided into days leading up to D-day. Look back at the list of topics you need to cover and spread them evenly over the time available.
"Both lads started early - at about nine-years-old - so thousands of hours of training went into it. We made sure we had a goal and kept focusing on it. We created plans and stuck to those like glue, so they had no nerves during the competition because they were just doing what they'd been doing for the last four years." Lindsey Fraser, award winning coach of Olympic medal winning British divers, Peter Waterfield and Leon Taylor.
5. Be realistic: There are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, and even professional athletes would burn out if they spent all that time training. They schedule in rest days and take breaks between training sessions, which is exactly what you should do too. You'll be amazed how refreshed you'll feel after enjoying a short respite from the books.
"The body and the brain are capable of operating at some alarmingly high revs. But they need to be given time to recover. Don't cram. Stretch..." Eddie Butler, sports commentator, journalist and former rugby player and captain for Wales.
6. Look after yourself: Just as athletes have to keep their bodies and minds in top physical condition, you should too. Gorging on junk food and caffeine might give you a temporary bout of energy, but will leave you feeling weary. You might think you're saving time by skipping meals but you will be far less productive as a result. Regular, balanced meals are the answer, and why not use that break to jog around the park or kick a football around.
"The professionals [golfers] realise that if you're going to compete with the best you're going to have to get your body and mind into some kind of condition. If you don't, others will and you're starting on an un-level playing field. That's one thing Tiger Woods has brought into the game, golfers becoming more like athletes. They all work-out, they look at their diets and keep fit." DJ Spoony, Radio 1 DJ and dedicated golfer.
7. Be disciplined: Athletes know, and are regularly reminded by their coaches and managers, that over indulging in food or drink, or late nights out during a tournament will have a negative impact on their performance. Would you want to pay good money to watch your favourite team lose to opponents they might have beaten if they too had opted for the early nights? Sometimes you have to make short-term sacrifices to achieve your goals.
"During A-level exams I missed some tournaments. May and June were difficult and my golf standard dipped but you've just got to accept it because A-levels are important and I knew that I could work on my golf later in the summer after the exams." Rhys Davies, ex-British Boys Champion golfer.
8. Don't delay: Leaving your least favourite subjects until the day before the exam may leave you disheartened. Instead, if the thought of algebraic equations leave you cold, study them in short bursts followed by your favourite subject.
9. Grin and bear it: Even professional athletes don't enjoy every aspect of their training, but without slogging it out in the weights room, they won't have power and strength on the field. Similarly, without perfecting your French verb conjugation, your conversation with the Parisian taxi driver won't get you very far.
"In everything, there is an element of drudgery. Sit-ups in the January mud of Pontypool Park were never my idea of glam-rock sport. In learning, it is all the, yawn, boring reading and revising and reading and revising. And you put up with your pet hates - algebra and sit-ups - because when the moment comes to put yourself to the test, you can find yourself doing things you never thought you'd ever be capable of doing. And that's when you start enjoying yourself." Eddie Butler, sports commentator, journalist and former rugby player and captain for Wales.
10. Work together: Instead of panicking because John got 90% on his mock test or because Sian has done 3 hours of revision on a chapter you didn't know you were supposed to read, why not join forces? By studying together on occasion, you might find that you cover more or different ground, come up with ideas you might not have thought of on your own, and give each other a real confidence boost.
"The American team is so strong that many people said it was a case of all the other teams chasing the silver or bronze. But we showed that team work can overcome obstacles." Steve Perks, coach of the gold medal-winning Olympic relay team.
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