NIMBLE NOODLE
Hey there! Are you a student plugging away at your studies but not getting anywhere? Have your past years studying shown you a few traps you fall into over and over again as a student? Do any of the following sound familiar:
I get overwhelmed the closer I get to exams - I don’t know where to start and how to hold all of the information in
I don’t study efficiently and end up spending too much time on low-payoff studying (e.g. formatting and reformatting something until it looks ‘just right’).
My body crashes and burns…I feel burnt out a few months out from the exams!
I find myself procrastinating. A lot. I mean, my room suddenly really tidy but inside I’m panicking about all of the work that has to get done.
I get caught up in trying to do things perfectly - I spend far too long on tasks, or I don’t bother making a start because I know I won’t be able to get it to the level I want it to be.
If this all sounds a bit too close to home, then Nimble Noodle may be just the course for you - we cover the academic, psychological, and physical factors that lead to study success when it comes to your studies.
what is a nimble noodle?
A Nimble Noodle is someone who can use their brain flexibly. When it comes to students, we’re talking about using your noodle in a nimble way so that you can stay focused on your studies and make it through to the end of the year. You see, being successful in your studies isn’t just about studying. It’s about:
Understanding how you learn and how to work with it (rather than against it),
Getting into the right mindset for studying,
Learning how to maintain your motivation and resist procrastination, and of course,
Having a body that lasts the distance
In our Nimble Noodle online course we’ll help you in a holistic way - academically, psychologically, and physically.
what’S ON THE nimble noodle COURSE MENU?
The Nimble Noodle course is organised into three parts: PREP, COOK, and PLATE UP. These sections are designed to give you the best foundation on which to layer your learnings over the academic term, semester, and year, so that come exam time you’re well-prepared and peak at just the right time (just like an athlete!). We’ll now step through each of these parts.
SECTION 1: PREP
The PREP section is all about getting your ingredients and equipment together for your recipe. If we get the basics right, then you set yourself up to succeed as everything flows better and feel easier. In the PREP section we focus on three modules:
GROUNDWORK where we look at who you are as a student, where you fall down, and identify areas to work on to ensure a good academic semester and year. We cover the importance of meta-learning when it comes to setting yourself up for success.
MINDSET Here we look at the Mindset —> Mood —> Motivation —> Performance link, and look at getting into the right mindset for studying. Your self-talk is a powerful motivator (or demotivator!). By shifting unhelpful self-talk about your abilities, your study tasks, and even your exams, you can feel less overwhelmed and more motivated to get cracking on your studies. There’s even a bonus module on how to keep Perfectionism at bay!
STUDY SKILLS Finally, we’ll look at study and learning skills (including how to work with the limitations of your memory!). We have a wealth of learning in these areas memory (one of Nimble Noodle’s authors, Dr Joyce Chong, completed her PhD thesis on the relationship between exam anxiety and working memory), so you’re in good hands!
SECTION 2: COOK
The COOK section of Nimble Noodle is all about learning to maintain your progress in the face of setbacks. We get that life happens, so the COOK section is our offering to help you get back on track and also to build resilience by taking a preventative approach. To help you stay on track the COOK section has the following modules:
ENERGISE YOUR BODY which covers those health habits that will allow you to stay illness-free and full of energy for the semester and year ahead. We look at brain foods vs. drain foods, simple exercises to help with study strains (tech neck anyone?), and also look at developing helpful sleep habits and how to chill better (check out our Mindful Miso!).
SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS is all about those productivity habits that help, including shifting your mindset, and effective time management and goal setting for students. There’s also a section just on procrastination.
SUSTAIN YOUR EFFORTS is a module that recognises that life happens to us, and the ups and downs affect our mood and, therefore, our performance (it’s the old Mindset —> Mood —> Motivation —> Performance at play again). In this module we cover how to look after your mood (Think - Energise - Soothe - Connect) so that you stay on track and aren’t derailed by setbacks.
SECTION 3: PLATE UP
In the PLATE UP section of Nimble Noodle we look specifically at the sprint towards the finish line…exams. This section is all about how to prepare so that you peak in time for exams. In this section we focus on the following modules:
EXAM PREPARATION which covers a wealth of tips to help you prepare in the lead up to exams. Learn how to study strategically, and how to layer your learnings. Burnout and running out of steam are also things students face in the lead up to exams, so we look at how to last the distance to make it through to the last exam day. As part of this, stay on track using the included Exam Planner which contains a checklist for studying strategically, a subject planner, daily exam planner, and weekly exam planner.
CRUNCH TIME is a bit of final preparation for the BIG DAY! It steps you through the priorities to focus on, and what to do on the night before, the morning of, during, and after the exam.
EXAM ANXIETY is our passion (we see a lot of exam anxiety here at The Skill Collective!). Dr Joyce Chong, one of Nimble Noodle’s authors, has worked intensively with university students for many years (for 7 years in University Counselling Services, and subsequently at The Skill Collective) and pours her experience into this module. Here, we cover the anxiety-performance relationship, and how to shift unpleasant exam anxiety symptoms:
Shifting unhelpful thoughts using approaches from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Mindfulness
Shifting unpleasant physical sensations by using breathing to help you decrease anxiety (Black Bean Breathing), using grounding for when the anxiety spikes (our Grounding Ginger), and breaking the link between thinking about exams and feeling anxious (using our Calming Coriander),
Shifting unhelpful behaviours (e.g. procrastination and perfectionism) that further increase your anxiety.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nimble Noodle is brought to you by our clinical psychologist Dr Joyce Chong, and Dr Kevin Yong, GP and blogger at eat.move.chill They’ve worked together over the years to help students get set for their studies and exams, and we’ve put together our best tips that work so you can access them all in the one place.
Joyce has a special interest in learning and memory, having completed her PhD in the link between anxiety and working memory. She also worked extensively with students at University Counselling and Psychological Services for many years, helping them stay on track with their studies through a combination of developing strong study skills, managing moods that get in the way of effective studying, and also developing the right mindset for success.
Kevin is a firm believer in the benefits of a healthy body for wellbeing and the mind. His focus is on helping students look after themselves in ways that support their learning and concentration, and to ensure that they stay well and illness-free for this very significant year of their lives.