1. Don’t try and watch TV at the same time. No, it does not work. No, I don’t think you are good at multitasking. Yes, it will just slow you down.
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2. A Top-40 Playlist or catchy songs may seem like the type of ‘music’ you think will motivate you to study, but no, randomly breaking into song in the middle of your study session WILL distract you.
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3.Eating at the same time, like I said, is just another activity that is distracting you from your main focus, studying. Food, especially good food, is once again going to slow you down and get you off topic every couple of minutes or so…
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4. Sitting in direct vision of your bed. Sure if it is something that does not need your entire focus, you can take it easy and do some work on your bed. BUT, if you are trying to cram information into your head and it’s 2 in the morning, you need to sit far away from your bed; trust me, you’re going to pass out.
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5.I know this one is hard but try and take as few naps as possible. I’m not forbidding naps, but taking one for less than 20 minutes is going to make you less groggy and sleepy (it does happen; we all know it).
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6. PUT THAT PHONE AWAY. It is hard, I know. This for me is the hardest thing in the world. But trust me, checking snapchat, scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, or reading HerCampus articles (i.e. this one you are reading right now instead of studying) will not keep you focused on your work. Instead, give yourself timed breaks to check your phone.
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7. Put the highlighter down and pick up that pen. I don’t know about anyone else but I always find that writing and summarizing key information from printed texts stays more intact in my mind than reading brightly colored information written by other people.
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8. Procrastination: it’s the worst. Ever been in a situation where tons and tons of work pile on top of you and just thinking about the weight of it tires you out? I have been there. Workload after workload is exhausting and pushing it to the very end will get you nowhere. Even though the very thought of diving into a pile of work sitting on your desk sounds repulsive, taking it little by little is the only way you can clear it away.
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Coming from a student who has done everything they should not have being doing from the list above, I can guarantee that following these rules will bring great success… and those little breaks? TOTALLY WORTH IT.