Do you ever feel like your study habits are just not efficient enough? Like they’re not helping you reach your full potential? This is mostly because there is a strong chance you are not studying the right way. Locking yourself up in the corner of the library or your mom might be the tried and tested method.
But, it sure isn’t efficient enough. Plus there is no single method that can fit every individual.
One google search and you’ll come across at least 20 methods of studying that are scientifically backed to improve your studying abilities. But, just sticking to a single method is not enough. Instead, you need to work on creating a routine and environment that can help you help you absorb information better, while also storing the important information for longer.
Keeping this in mind, we have created a list of tips and tricks that can help you study efficiently. The goal must be to study smarter, not to study harder.
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Tips To Study Efficiently
Keep in mind that these are just suggestions. It is not necessary that all the tips will work for you. What you can do, is to try the ones you fancy and see what works the best for you.
Tip #1: Organise your study space
Experts suggest that it is good to have a designated mess-free spot for you to study. When you have a spot where you always sit to study, it trains your brain into understanding that every time they’re at that spot, it’s time to study.
Ensuring this spot is also mess-free, organized, neat, and tidy is also important. Your brain replicates your surrounding environment. If you’re surrounded by clutter then your thought will also be cluttered. Having an organized study space ensures that you always start your study session with a fresh mind. Research has proven this particular tip to be very useful.
Also, do not ever pick your bed as your study spot. Your bed is for sleep and not studying. You brain is condoned to shut off and snooze every time you spend a long time in it. Also a result of this your study session will involve more naps than actual studying. So, it’s best to avoid the bed and pick a different study spot.
Tip #2: Do not multitask
In the kind of society we live in, we’re all used to multitasking. This is the era of digital distractions. Be it, adults or students, everyone is always multitasking to some extent. But, when it comes to studying, it is best to avoid any form of multitasking as much as possible. There is essentially no such thing as successful multitasking. When you multitask, you complete the task at hand with only 60% – 70% of efficiency.
It is very rarely 100%. You do not want this when you’re studying.
While studying, your focus should solely be on studying. Not on eating, or replying quickly to an email, or tidying your room. Focus on studying by eliminating all distractions. This way studying is more effective and you’re more likely to achieve your goals.
Tip #3: Limit social media usage
Using social media is highly distracting and is a form of escalating behavior. When you open Twitter or Instagram, it never ends with you spending 2 minutes on it. You usually spent at least a minimum of 30 minutes on it in one sitting.
You might have logged in to reply to a friend regarding something important but, you don’t just get off the platform once that’s done.
Instead, you easily end up spending half an hour scrolling mindlessly through social media.
You can install an app like SocialX on your phone, it will help you efficiently and effectively reduce your social media usage. You can set an app limit using the SocialX app and this way you will not spend an unnecessary amount of time on social media. It would also be beneficial if you turn off your notifications, this way you won’t be distracted by them every few seconds.
In this era filled with social media distractions, this is very important.
Tip #4: Get a good night’s sleep
This is very important. Especially because, students irrespective of their age often mess up their sleep schedules. This not only leads to extreme tiredness the next day but also clouds your ability to process information to its full extent. A good’s night sleep ensures that your brain is fully refreshed and ready to tackle all the information that is being thrown its way.
Scientific studies have shown that a well established and healthy sleep schedule can improve your memory by three-fold. This of course would be a blessing for any student.
We often tend to give little importance to our sleep schedules. Believing that chugging a big cup of coffee in the morning can solve all problems. But, that is not the case. When your sleep schedule is messed up, your brain does not function to 100% of its capabilities.
Due to this your study session will never really be 100% efficient. Plus, consuming large amounts of coffee can negatively impact your memory and attention span. So, that’s another thing to keep in mind!
Tip #5: High-intensity study sessions for shorter periods of time
It is a myth that studying for a prolonged period is helpful. That is definitely not the case. Especially in the current generation, where attention spans are rapidly diminishing, this method of studying just won’t cut it anymore.
When a long youtube video cannot hold your attention, there is no way a 3-hour study session is going to benefit you positively.
What you can actually do is a study for shorter periods of time but with higher intensity. Instead of doing low-intensity work for a longer period of time, it is much more effective if you do the vice versa. Assign a specific time in your day that is meant for studying, make sure it is neither too long nor too short.
Find a time that suits you best and in that period focus all your attention on studying only.
Tip #6: Start Active Studying
Active studying refers to the process of asking yourself questions before, during, and after your study session. A simple hack like this can help give your study session a better direction and help you keep track of what’s been covered so far. It can also help you reflect on how to improve your study time to fit your needs better.
Here is an example of how you implement active studying in your schedule.
Questions to ask yourself before you start the study session:
- What am I going to learn today?
- What knowledge and information do I already have about this subject?
- Why am I choosing to focus on this subject today?
Questions to ask yourself while you study:
- Do I completely understand what I have just read?
- Am I able to paraphrase the information I have just learned?
- What are the important keywords or ideas about this topic that I need to note down?
Questions to ask yourself after you study:
- What have I learned today?
- How much of this will I review in the next study session?
- What will I be studying next?
Tip #7: Lock away every possible distraction
As we discussed earlier, we live in a world filled with distractions. It’s hard to not get distracted when one of your guilty pleasures is calling your name, trying to lure you in. So, it’s best to lock away all possible distractions, get them out of your sight before you start studying.
We all have guilty pleasures. Something that we might spend an unhealthy amount of time doing every once in a while.
But, it is very important to not get carried away by our guilty pleasures. Whatever your biggest distraction might be it is important to get it out of your line of sight before you start studying. It could be anime, comic books, chocolates, or even porn magazines, lock it all up beforehand.
This way you can indulge in your guilty pleasure once you’re done studying as a little treat for having a successful study session.
Hope these tips help you active your study goals. Do let us know what worked for you and what didn’t. Also, if you have any good tips that have helped you, share them in the comments below!