Something all students have to deal with is studying. Unfortunately, you cannot avoid studying even when it's the most tedious thing ever. But, it's often that way because we do it wrong - and we know we’re doing it wrong. We get all sorts of recommendations on how to study, which we then don’t listen to, or aren’t as helpful as they could have been and result in us having to go through much difficulty before we find our flow.
So, to prevent us from having to go through that difficult study slump, here are how to significantly improve your study sessions:
1. Do Not Cram
For real though: we’ve all been told not to cram, yet we still do it. However, it is true: cramming is not good - and it's not helpful either. It may help in the (very) short term, but the amount of information you can retain when cramming is no where near the amount if you study regularly. It should never be your main study method and it may make you feel worse when it comes to the exam because you aren’t allowing yourself to gain sufficient rest. Having various revision sessions that are regular are a lot more beneficial, even if each session only lasts a few minutes.
The question that then remains is: how do I study without cramming? Well, you'll have to study regularly and start way before exam season. Break up your subjects and your topics into smaller chunks for you to go through. The best way to do that is to 'learn how to lean'.
2. Learning How to Learn
This is something schools do not teach. It’s a blessing if you have a teacher kind enough to share techniques to use when studying, but the thing is, not all techniques are suitable for everyone. That’s why, at the start of an academic year, or just early on, you’ve got to figure out what works best for you. Are you a visual or auditory learner? Do you prefer doing things instead? Once you’ve figured it out, you can then curate your study methods according to your preferences so that you can maximise your sessions whilst embracing your unique style.
Once you’ve figured your style, you’ve also got to learn how your brain best retains the information. Trust me, it’s not by rereading your notes and copying more notes. You need to actively learn, not passively learn, which means you need to test yourself frequently. Like this, you’ll study smart, not long and that will help you better than any 9+-hour long study session. Find suitable methods for each of your subjects and use them to maximise your time.
3. Plan Study Sessions
Not many people plan their study sessions, but if you do, you identify what it is you’ll be studying in that given session. This will help you have a sense of clarity on what needs to be done and will prevent you from doing trivial tasks or using methods that feel like they are helpful but really aren’t.
Planning these sessions could include having a revision timetable so you know when to study what; what study method you’ll be using in a specific session; and even how long you have to do it. You may also plan where you’ll study so that you may make your study session more enjoyable. For example, you may study outside or in a library. However, that’s not the only way you can make you session more enjoyable, which brings us to my next point.
4. Make your sessions enjoyable
There is this belief that when you study, you must do so alone and in whatever setting is available. Studying is believed to be not enjoyable and that’s the way it will remain, however that’s not true. You can make your session more enjoyable by having a nice set up. Yes, time to get creative and create your perfect desk! However, don’t get too caught up in the look of things as the most important thing is that you get your work done, not everything looking perfect, otherwise nothing will actually get done. You may want to try working in a library of a cafe too because they will give you the entire working-community feel.
It’s also a good idea to have something playing in the background, as long as it doesn’t have any words. Ambience sounds are very make things a lot more fun with the added benefit of helping you focus.
One last tip to make studying more fun is to not do it alone. You can study with friends, even if you are all working on different things, as having others around can be very motivating, but also very uplifting. Surround yourself with people and things that inspire and energise you will help make the entire study session feel good, making it more fun and less boring.
5. Timer and Breaks
The last thing is to make sure you take breaks. A lot of people recommend using the Pomodoro technique and because it works for many, I’m mentioning it here. But, if it doesn’t work for you, don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world: you can work according to your tasks, taking breaks after every long task or every group of tasks - like I do. If you don’t take breaks, you are more likely to stop focusing and are more likely to burnout, preventing you from being able to get plenty of work done.
During your break, be careful with what you do. Do something you will enjoy and will refresh you rather than something you ‘enjoy’ and will pull you into a slump. That means that you should avoid using social media. Instead, try going for a walk or make yourself a drink or some snacks so that you are ready to do more once you’re back at your desk.
If you work smart, it’s easier to find a balance in your life and make more time for more things such as learning new skills or spending time with loved ones. You must always remember that you have a life and that you shouldn’t let studying take over it. Nor should you completely neglect studying by claiming that you need to live life. Leaning towards either extremes could cause problems, but as long as you study well and properly, you will never have to deal with that issue.
That’s all from me today. I’ll see you in my next post! Let the study sessions begin!
Note: I’ve mentioned some things in this blog and would like to know if I should create more posts on them. I’m talking about active vs passive learning and different methods to revise depending on if you're an auditory/visual/kinaesthetic learner. Vote in the poll below to let me know.
Do you want me to write a post about...
Active Vs Passive Learning.
Study techniques for different learners.
Neither one. Not interested.
Both of them!
This was very helpful!