We’ve all had those tough times in college where we save all of our homework assignments until the last minute and end up staying up all night to complete them. Coffee, 5-hour energy drinks, and Redbulls have become our best friends. However, there are some ways to alleviate some of the stress by incorporating these handy study tips into your routine.
1. Don’t Procrastinate
I know, I know, you’ve all heard this a million times. I know how easy it is to procrastinate, trust me. It’s human nature and I don’t expect you to stop completely. Just try to take it in little steps — do easy homework first that is shorter and easier to get out of the way. That way you have less to worry about later on. This is honestly the best thing you can do stop stressing about homework and studying. Saving everything until the last minute just causes it all to build up and leads to you becoming extremely stressed out and not able to put your best effort into your assignments. Try it for a week even and see how big of a difference it makes.
2. Write Your Notes In Class, Then Go Home And Rewrite Them
This may seem tedious, but it is a fantastic way to make sure you retain all the information from your notes. When you take notes in class, go home and then rewrite them and format them in a certain way so that you can highlight all important topics. This lets you review immediately after class and also gives you a bona fide study guide to review later for any tests or quizzes. You can also go through your notes and write down any questions you have and take them into office hours to ensure you have the maximum understanding you can from the notes.
3. Chew Specific Gum When Studying, Then Chew That Same Gum During The Test
Chewing a specific flavor of gum when you’re studying and then chewing that same flavor during the exam helps you to remember what you have studied and has been shown to improve test scores. If you are stuck on a tricky question and you can’t remember the answer, the gum you are chewing can trigger the memory of you studying and help you remember the material you studied. You can also use essential oils and lotion.
4. Use The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a technique invented by by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The concept is to use a timer for 20-25 minutes, with 5 minute breaks in-between. You set the timer, work on your task for the 20-25 minutes, then take a short 5 minute break, and then set the timer again. After doing this four times, you then take a 15-30 minute break and repeat. This allows you to study in shorter time spans with breaks in-between so you are not as overwhelmed.
5. Convert Your Notes Into Flashcards
When studying your notes, the sheer amount of material can easily be overwhelming. To make this more manageable, revise your notes and put all the information you need onto a flashcard. This can help you know what to study and which are important concepts to remember. You don’t have to fill out entire flashcards, just figure out what you need to know and slap em on there.
6. Break Tasks Down Into Smaller Pieces
This might seem obvious, but I have personally found this to be extremely effective. As someone who has to do a LOT of reading for classes, I was overwhelmed with having to read so much in one day. What I do now is find out what I have to read a few weeks before it is due, and then read a few pages every day. This is much more manageable and it helps you stay focused by having to do less every day instead of doing it all in one day. This won’t work if you don’t master tip #1 (procrastinating), as this will take a bit of self-discipline. However, I promise you this will alleviate your stress and make it that much easier to accomplish.
7. Don’t Overwork Yourself
The easiest way to fail is to overwhelm yourself with work and breakdown. It is also important to know that there will be times where you fail, be it you get a bad grade or a failed test. This does not mean that you aren’t smart. Plenty of people fail, it is just important that you learn from your mistakes and use it to better yourself and your work in the future. It is easy to get hung up over work and stress, but remember to take time for yourself and do the things you enjoy.
Although there are a million study tips out there, no one can guarantee success but you. If certain things work for you that aren’t included here, great! Keep doing them — as long as you are happy with your work and know what you’re doing. I say these things from a personal perspective. In high school, I NEVER studied, and although I didn’t do bad, I didn’t do as good as I could have. Going to college and finding out I actually have to study gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get my crap together and ask people for tips. These are what work best for me, and I hope they help you too! Happy studying!