I can’t stress how important a role your environment plays in the effectiveness of your studying and ability to focus. A good study spot consists of a place that allows you to do all your work and focus only on that! For most people, that means a clean and well-lit workspace. For you this could be somewhere with no distractions, like a quiet room in the library. Or perhaps you can’t stand silence, then a nice coffee shop could be the place to get your optimal study time in.
2. Rewriting Your Notes
Sounds tedious, I know. But seriously, rewriting and refining your notes is super helpful! It gives you a chance to go over and elaborate on key concepts that you learned in class and combine them with the information from your assigned readings. By midterm and finals season, you will have stack of notes that you don’t even remember the shorthand for, refining notes will be your best bet at retaining knowledge.
3. Make a Quizlet
Making notecards gets old real quick. When you have so many terms, dates, and other key concepts to study for, writing on notecards becomes so overwhelmingly time consuming that you won’t even have the time to study them once you’re done making them. That’s why I’m a huge fan of quizlet, you can simply copy and paste notes and key terms from notes off your laptop or google, making for a quick and efficient way to make notecards. Not to mention the site has all kinds of features and games to help you study!
4. Make a Schedule
The most stressful thing is waiting to the last minute and having a whole pile of work that is impossible to finish in the time you have. I get it, you procrastinate, we all do it. But by making a clear and manageable schedule, you’ll cut your stress levels in half. Remember, be reasonable and honest with yourself when making a study schedule. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, it’ll just discourage you when you don’t meet your personal deadlines.
5. Reward Yourself!
Studying sucks, let’s be real about it. For me, reading is what kills. I never have the patience or willpower to do all of my readings in one sitting. Something that’s really helped me though has been rewarding myself when doing work. When I’m doing homework, I split it into chunks and reward myself with a snack or 5 minute phone break when I get a chunk done. It gets me to do my work and still stay engaged with what I’m doing by taking breaks.