Studying is hard, and sometimes it is even harder when you see someone successes where you cannot. It makes you question your abilities. However, studying is a skill, and you can learn how to do it better just like with any other skill. It is not a question of genetics or any other factor that you cannot control. It is just a matter of practice and building healthy habits.
If you want to increase your potential and get better grades, you need to form several students’ habits. Here are 10 tips that will make it easier and reveal the secrets on how to get motivated:
1.Create a Study Plan
It is the basis of any productive work – smart planning and time management help you manage deadlines and your time. You need to define what tasks you need to accomplish and the time it will take. Try to put a little more time than it is necessary so that you have a backup plan. The secret is simple – when everything is organized and planned, it doesn’t feel like there is too much work. Do one thing at a time and don’t try to accomplish everything at once.
2. Take Breaks
Your mind is not a machine and even the smartest computer needs to be reset and have a rest sometimes. That’s why you need to plan breaks. Studies show that the most successful strategy for developing your learning ability is having 15 minutes rest after every hour of studying. Listen to music, watch a YouTube vlog, and reset your mind. The key is switching to the completely other activity; a physical exercise is a great option too. It will boost your cognitive abilities and make the time you spend behind the books more productive.
3. Make Study Notes
It is hard to remember everything by heart, that is why the good idea is to make notes. There are lots of ways to organize them, you can use mind maps or other techniques. Make a plan for a lecture to write in all key points. Create a scheme with main terms to the seminar and write them out. You may also put some crucial definitions on stickers and put all over your board.
4. Get Good Sleep
Our well-being and cognitive functioning are directly dependant on our sleep habits. Do not pull all-nighters too often; try to avoid them if you can. Do not study in your bed because then you may experience troubles when trying to sleep. Get a good rest is a key to a productive day. Caring about your body is crucial at any times, especially if you experience a lot of stress.
5. Ask for Help
If there is something you don’t understand clearly, do not be afraid of asking the professor about it. Asking for help is probably the most underestimated academic skill today. But this action will prove that you are interested in learning and want to know more. If you are not sure about where to start with your writing task, ask for a consultation with a tutor. There is also another solution – you can seek online assignment assistance from professionals. They can inspire you with examples or help with editing.
6. Revise what you’ve learned
Another cool trick you can do is to test yourself and revise information. It is easy and takes a small amount of time. For example, before the lecture, you can go through your previous notes on the subject. Or you can make a habit of reading your notes every day, during breakfast or in a lunchtime. You just read it through and it will be memorized soon.
7. Analyze your mistakes
The best thing to do is to start where you are now. Look through your grades, tests, and written tasks and analyze where there were mistakes. Check them out carefully and find out the weak places in your knowledge. Maybe you are reckless when it comes to formatting or have some grammar mistakes. Or maybe there are knowledge gaps that need to be filled. These mistakes are your starting points; use them to make your weakness your strong point.
8. Create test conditions
Lots of students have troubles when it comes to performance under stress conditions. The amazing thing – you can prepare for it at home by creating resembling conditions. Take your books away and set a timer, after that start working on your answers. Do not use any notes or the internet, this way you can see how much do you actually remember and can explain in limited time. There are also lots of online tests on various subjects, you can take them to see what questions might appear and what else you should learn.
9. Use real-life situations
This tip depends directly on the nature of the subject you are studying, however, the secret is the same – use your knowledge in real life. We don’t just study to acquire knowledge as the number of facts that will be used on the test. We learn skills and information that can be practically implemented in life, so do it. Maybe you can find an internship or conduct an experiment, do what you like.
10. Do what you love
When we are passionate about something, working on it doesn’t feel like work at all. We are generally so engaged that are ready to spend hours and weeks on the project. Apply this idea to the study – follow the classes that are actually interesting for you and create projects that fascinate you.
Conclusion
Education might be not only challenging but also fun. What you need it to have a clear strategy and great habits. After all, doing what you love is what it takes to be successful.
Author’s Bio Crystal Roman
Crystal Roman is an educational, motivational speaker and advocate. The main focus of her works is to train people to learn better and improve their skills. She believes that any activity can be fun and useful.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.