Exhausted and have brain fog after a long stretch of studying? Maybe you need to find a way to find a hack that is more effective. Learning should energise, not drain you out. You need to remember that long hours of slogging away, copious notes and cramming late into the night do not indicate studiousness. In reality, it means you are studying incorrectly.
It’s time to study smart with 10 effective study tips to learn faster, retain better, and stay motivated. Here are some study tips to follow to make your study life easier:
1. Highlight less. Understand more.
Do your textbooks and notes look like an art project with highlights? Stop.
Highlight only the key points. Not the entire paragraph. Your brain can retain the main highlights and bring together the rest of the information when you need to use it.
2. Do you know the 25-minute rule
Make the Pomodoro Technique your study mantra. 25 minutes of focused study, followed by a 5-minute break. It’s simple, powerful, and keeps burnout at bay.
3. Teach to learn
Did you know that peer learning helps you learn? When you explain concepts to others (maybe even your pet!), it helps reinforce comprehension. It is known to be one of the most effective ways to study.
4. Focus. Tackle one task at a time.
Multitasking is widely appreciated in the world. But not many know that it does not really work when you are trying to study. It only dilutes the learning process. Take up one subject/ topic at a time.
5. Build a space that feels like ‘You’
Create ‘your’ study area in a way that resonates with your personality. Quiet. Clutter-free. Maybe a small photograph/ doodle or even a favourite object. This is not about ornamentation, but it definitely is about feeling like you belong there.
Read More: How to Concentrate on Studies: 10 Proven Tips to Stay Focused
6. Active recall helps the most
Re-reading is so ineffective. It does not allow for recall. To actively recall what you have studied, try quizzing yourself. Create questions and then answer them aloud if you want. Active recall, as this is known, is probably the most effective study technique used.
7. Space it out. Don’t cram.
Space your study routine out, so it does not space you out! Review your study material over days, not within the next few hours. Consistent reiteration of your material beats cramming. Every time.
8. Switch it up
Interleaving is a technique that sharpens problem-solving and connects concepts when you create a mix of subjects. This may sound contradictory to study technique 4, but there is a smart way to do it. Pick maybe 3 subjects for a day. Tackle one topic from each. Have a go at it.
Read More: Are Multiplication Tables Still Relevant for Children?
9. Sleep is your best friend
Sleep. Study. Repeat. Sounds too easy? Well, it actually works! You learn better when you have rested. Sleep actually helps your brain cells to re-invigorate and therefore retain better. Try it.
10. Reward progress, not perfection
That chapter in history that was overwhelming? If you have finally completed it, celebrate with maybe a 15-minute break to listen to music. When you celebrate these small wins, your brain associates study with a positive attitude. So go ahead and treat yourself.
Read More: How STEM Prepares Students for Future Careers
At The Premia Academy, we encourage you to study smarter
Based on our principles of reaching for your best, we cultivate in every student effective study methods as necessary life skills. Because we strongly believe that it is never about how long you study, but how well you have learnt at the end.