1. Pick a place and time
- Set up your study space – Your study space should be quiet, comfortable, and distraction-free. It should make you feel happy and inspired. Decorate it with your favorite pictures or objects. If you want to listen to music or burn incense, pick a space that lets you do that.
- Find your best time – Some people work better in the morning. Others work better at night. Work out which time suits you and plan to study then. Don't study much later than your usual bedtime – pushing yourself late at night can make you too tired to study properly.
2. Study every day
If you study a little bit every day, you'll be continually reviewing things in your mind. This helps you understand things. It also helps you avoid the stress of last-minute cramming.
An hour or two a night might be enough to stay on top of things early in the year. Later in the year, you might need to study more each day.
If you're finding it hard to find time to study, cut back on some (but not all!) of your other activities. The prioritizing study might mean spending less time online, or it might mean cutting back on shifts at work or giving the weekend sport a miss for a while.
3. Plan your time
- Set alarms – Set alarms to remind you about your study plans. A regular reminder keeps you honest and your plans on track.
- Use a wall planner – Stick a calendar or wall planner up to see it whenever you're studying. Mark it up with important dates, like exams and assignment due dates. Use it to block out your regular study timetable too.
- Make to-do lists – Lists break tasks down into manageable chunks. At the start of the week, make a list of the things you need to have done by the end of the week. Make a to-do list at the start of each study session, too, so that you're clear about what you need to be doing with your time.
- Set time limits – Before you start your study session, have a look at your to-do list and give yourself a set time to spend on each task. If you don't get something done in the set time, consider whether it's the best use of your time to keep going with it or start working on something else.
4. Review and revise
- Quiz – Get a friend or family member to quiz you on key concepts. Offer to help your friends with their work too. Quizzes are great ways to get confident about what you know and learn what you still need to learn.
- Make your own study materials – Think up some practice exam questions or create your own flashcards to help you study. This way, you learn it all twice when you make the study materials and once when you use them to revise.
5. Take breaks
It's important to take breaks while studying, especially if you're feeling tired or frustrated. Working too long on a task can actually decrease your performance.
When you take a break, make sure you get away from your desk or study space. A bit of physical – even just a walk around the block – can sometimes help you look at a problem differently and could even help you solve it.
You must be logged in to post a comment.