Whether you are studying for an important exam, a regular homework assignment, or just want to understand your subject better, finding ways to study better and more effectively can dramatically help your grades and lower your frustration. When we treat ourselves as unique individuals, learning our own best practices and working within that framework we have higher success in studying and other areas of our lives.
Find Your Best Time
We are studying, it helps us to choose the best time. Everyone has a time of day in which they work best and are at their most energetic. For most people, this is either in the morning or the evening but for you, it might be different. If you can plan your study time when you are feeling your most alert you may have the best success.
It’s also helpful to take your schedule into account. If you don’t have a morning class until 9:00 and are most energetic before breakfast, your best time to study may be early morning just after you wake up. On the other hand, if you can’t get out of a certain class you might not be able to schedule a daily study time when you are most energetic. Plan your daily study times when they fit into your schedule and your personality and stick with them every day.
Use Study Aids
Consider using study aids to help you work more effectively. For some people, these are simply traditional flashcards while others get benefits from using digital study help resources such as practice exams, digital flashcards, and slideshows. Take your personal learning style into account when choosing a study aid. Visual people might learn best from video resources while others work best when reading materials so they can refer back to them as needed. Still other people learn best through audio methods and should consider finding audiobook resources.
Don’t Go Down Rabbit Trails
For some people, it can be difficult to avoid going down rabbit trails while studying. This can be especially problematic if you enjoy the topic you’re studying and want to learn more about it. It’s important to stick with what you were assigned to learn about unless you are supposed to be doing additional research. While it can be fun to branch out and study new topics it takes time away from your priorities, which is to study for a specific exam or assignment. If you struggle with this choose the one most important thing to do each day and do it first during your study time. Having this focus on the most important thing can help you avoid distractions during your study time. Reward yourself after you have finished your study work by having a few minutes to learn about whatever you want.
Create a Study Space
If you have the space available, create an area specifically designed for you to study in. This doesn’t mean you always have to be in this area in order to study- sometimes you might prefer to visit a coffee shop or study outside. But in general, it helps if you have a specific location with everything you need where you can get right to work. Even if you’re living in a dorm room or small bedroom you can set aside an area with everything you need.
In the study area make sure that you have everything you need to study. Make this fun for yourself and you will enjoy studying more. If you prefer to take notes by hand, you might want to gather fun pens and several notebooks that you enjoy writing in. If you love tea, set up your area so that you can enjoy a variety of teas while you are learning. Implement whatever you enjoy and however you work best to make studying more fun and effective. And if you do things the same way every time, your brain and body will know these things signal study time.
Motivate Yourself
What motivates you? There’s nothing wrong with using a little self-bribery to help you on your way, especially on days when you are very busy or things are just rough. For some people, a reward at the end of a hard job is the best way to motivate themselves and get it done quickly. If this is you, decide which reward is most motivating (or what you can afford) and promise yourself that treat once you are finished working. This might be a visit to a coffee shop, a hot bath, or simply a walk around the park.
For other people checklists, charts, or calendars that show their progress are the most motivating factors. If this is you, it might work best to create a list of everything you need to work on during study time so that you can enjoy the satisfaction of seeing things being marked off..
Figure Out How You Work Best
Don’t forget to take your personal style into account. Everyone works best in different situations. Some people hate pressure and need to finish assignments far ahead of due dates in order to avoid stress. Other people find due dates very motivating and do their best work under the pressure of a looming deadline. While this may not be the best idea and you might find you are turning in assignments late, if you can work with your own personal style while still managing your time well you’ll be more successful. Some people who work best under pressure even write down assignment due dates as if they are a day earlier than they really are, to help give themselves that feeling of urgency while making sure they still have a bit extra time.