Making the Most of Your Study Time

How you study is more important than any natural ability and will make all the difference to how much you achieve academically. Someone with a natural aptitude for a subject will not achieve as much as someone who works harder. Fortunately, the following tips will help anyone achieve their academic potential through managing your study time.

Find the Perfect Study Location

Before you do anything else, you must find a good place to study. You’ll be spending a lot of time in one spot, so where you choose is crucial to how productive you’ll be. You need to find somewhere conducive to a focused work schedule, so pick a place without distractions. You will also need a decent level of comfort so you won’t be shuffling around every two seconds.

If you’re studying for an exam, ideally you should find somewhere that resembles the conditions you’ll be sitting the exam in. Subconsciously you will start to associate those conditions with the material you’re learning and will hopefully be able to recall it easier when needed.

Start Earl. Don’t Cram.

Be aware that you will need to start studying well in advance of your deadline date. Smaller study periods split over a longer time frame is proven to be much more effective than cramming all of your study time hours into the last possible moments. It’s not an easy answer but it is an effective one.

Plan well ahead and break your study time down into smaller bites which are easier to motivate yourself for. Consistency is crucial when studying, so breaking your revision into less daunting study times is a practical way to ensure you stick to it.

Prepare a Timetable for Your Study Time

Now you know how much time you’re going to dedicate to study time, you can prepare yourself a timetable. Taking into account downtime, draw up a plan you think you can follow and commit to it. Be realistic in your plans otherwise you may get disheartened when you don’t stick to it completely.

Break your week down into blocks and assign study time. If you slip up and don’t adhere to it completely, don’t beat yourself up. As long as you minimize lapses and get back into the swing of things quickly, you’ll be OK. Be flexible but focused.

Stay Clear of Distractions

Figure out what might possibly distract you from your task and set about eliminating it. When you sit down to study you need to be completely focused for the allotted time period, so get rid of anything that might make your attention stray from the topic at hand. Draw the curtains, turn off your phone and only use the internet when necessary for research. If you know you’ll be tempted to visit certain websites, you can use plugins or apps to block them for a specified time.

Take Smarter Notes In Class

Instead of laboring in class to note down everything the teacher is saying, just jot down the key points. If you spend the whole time scribbling with your head down, you won’t be able to pay proper attention to the teacher’s explanations. Write concise and short notes that are important and then re-write your notes after class.

By re-writing notes you will revise the material and take a lot more of it on board. Expand on your notes every day during your scheduled study periods and research any gaps you might have. It’s better to pay more attention during class and write fewer notes than to write whole essays and not listen.

Check out Tinetag to learn how to take smarter notes in class in 12 seconds or less!

Effective Study Time

The effective study, like a lot of things in life, is more about hard work and careful planning than it is about natural ability. Being able to plan ahead and stick to schedules is an important skill which will benefit all areas of a person’s life well beyond their academic career. The key to successful studying is taking on board the tips listed here but also to adapt them to fit your own personality. If you create a study time program that suits you and has the discipline to stick to it, you’ll be able to achieve much more in life than you ever thought possible.