Studying sucks. Its tedious, dull and not the smoothest ride. As a uni student, I have seen my fair share of last minute cramming, nervous breakdowns and despair that follows the necessary retaking of a semester. To survive the schooling part of life, I had to experiment with different ways to get studying done more efficiently. Below are some of the techniques I use.
1) Study in comfort BUT not in pleasure.
So what does that mean? Simply put, no one can focus on retaining information effectively in an uncomfortable situation. Make yourself comfortable before starting. Choose a chair and desk that suits your needs. Choose comfortable clothing. Choose music that you enjoy and at the same time can improve concentration.
Many people understand the first part. But most fall into the trap of pleasure. These are the people that lie on their beds while studying or wear fashionable clothes they prefer. They choose their favorite genre of music which happens to be rock or heavy metal. These are not going to provide any comfort in studying.
Instead, the opposite happens, you get distracted from your main focus by seeking pleasure from the situations you created. Before you know it, you fell asleep with the book on your face lying on the bed. Or you found yourself singing to your favorite tune when you should be doing math equations.
Everybody’s level of comfort is different, just be aware and honestly ask if the situation you are creating is a comfortable study zone or a pleasurable, distracting place.
2) Take breaks BUT only to rest yourself
Studying is tiring and after a 30 minute session, you feel like the inside of your brain has been liquidize. So you declare a break…… by whipping out your phone and scrolling through -insert social media of preference-. Before you know it, an hour has gone by, (but those cat videos are shooo cute) and your supposed study session is down the drain.
Maybe you are one of the rare ones that can control themselves and don’t touch your phone even during the break. Maybe you remember that laundry needs to be done. So you go downstairs and chuck the pile of filthy clothes into the washing machine. Oh wait, yesterday’s dishes aren’t done, better do it now. Why is the floor so crummy, better sweep it too. Before you know it, 40 minutes go by, your supposed study session went down the drain again (But at least your house is clean).
Rest during your break. Don’t do anything distracting. Eat some candy, get a drink of water, go to the toilet. Think of studying as a gym workout, after every set, rest for a minute or so just to get your breath back. You don’t wander off to clean your room or watch 10 cat videos (I hope) in the middle of your workout routine.
3) Create a framework BUT don’t memorize it.
Studying starts off with a massive pile of information. Scan through it briefly once and then stop to organize your thoughts. Group the information and sort them out into different categories for your own preference. Once you successfully organize your categories, create a framework linking the groups together.
Many of my fellow classmates simply rush headfirst into the pile of information. Then forcefully committing it to memory. This process is slow, ineffective, tedious and tiring.
Think of it as rushing through the wilderness where the surface is uneven and hard to trek across. Sometimes, you even get lost without direction and can only return home in despair.
Organizing your thoughts into a framework will be paving the road ahead. The journey will be smoother and by following the path, you will never be lost.
4) Talk to yourself (BUT not too loudly)
Yeah, you read that correctly. My housemates freaked out when we first moved in because of this habit. it was either I was a lunatic or the house was haunted.
It might sound crazy at first but it is very effective. talking to yourself allows you to create distance between what you believe you understood and what you really understand. So many times have I assume that I successfully cleared a chapter. Only when I start explaining the theories back do I hear all the uncertainties and holes in my memory.
Furthermore, talking is a natural, unlike writing. If you can explain a concept using speech, writing it out will not be a problem (provided your grasp of the language it is taught in is decent).
5) Set targets BUT be flexible and realistic
At night, usually before sleeping, I plan out the main subjects and chapters to study tomorrow. Taking into account going to class and other life sustaining activities aside, the large residual of time left is planned on studying. (I can hear you thinking “NERD!”)
The planning helps you jump straight into action when you want to start studying instead of fumbling about and wasting precious energy flipping through books deciding which chapter to do.
Nevertheless, be realistic and flexible. I burnt out during the early part of my uni life because I set unrealistic expectations and forcefully committed to them. Life gets in the way of your plans as well, so be flexible and don’t feel depressed (Like I felt) if all doesn't go according to plan. (It never does)
Studying isn’t all juts about passing standardize tests. The long forgotten objective of studying is actually to learn and grow. Therefore, I hope that the above tips will help you not just to pass tests, but also learn and grow.
Finally, do remember that
Studying is always learning, but learning is not always studying
Thank you for reading!
