5 Simple Tips to Get You Studying Better
For many people, studying is a real pleasure. However, for the vast majority, this activity is synonymous with torture, and just thinking about having to spend several hours in the company of books and notes is already a pain. For this gang, the folks at For Dummies posted some simple tips that can make studying hours less painful. Check it out below:
1 - Prepare mentally
Think about how you prepare to do something you really enjoy, such as watching movies or playing your favorite game, for example. How do you organize the environment? What posture do you adopt? Do you usually leave food and delicacies around so you don't have to interrupt your activity all the time to pick them up?
The idea is that you "borrow" some of the actions you normally do while engaging in your favorite activity to make an unpleasant experience - in this case study - less boring by association. In addition, a pleasant environment can help you feel better mentally, so the space in which you study doesn't have to be austere or workstation-like.
2 - Know your pace
The truth is that there is no ideal rhythm, and each one studies - and progresses - in their own way. The important thing is to know which one is yours, and remember that if you are more thorough and take more time to study, you will have to set aside a longer period for this activity.
But regardless of whether you need a little or a little time or have more or less availability on your schedule, keep in mind that taking short breaks is super important. Therefore, you can set up “breaks” - such as 10 minutes every half hour of work, for example - during study sessions, and give yourself little prizes for focusing on your activity.
3 - Take advantage of your memory
Knowing how human memory works can help a lot at these times. Studies have already shown that in the case of a text, for example, people better remember the first and last things they read, having a harder time clearly remembering the content of the "medium." The same happens with activities performed throughout the day.
And there's no point in wanting to change that, because our brains are programmed to process information that way. So, to make the most of it when you study, try to organize the content so that the most important questions focus on the beginning and end of your study session.
4 - Planning
Whether you have to study for a super-complex test or something simpler and less expensive, it is always good to have a plan for how you are going to prepare. One way to do this is to divide the total content into smaller blocks, which may be the different topics of the subject you are studying.
This can help you more easily understand the most important elements of the text, as well as memorize key words or aspects. With this method, you can use these little blocks of information to create a mental database that can be accessed when you need it. Here too is the old technique of relating complicated terms to funny words and phrases to sharpen memory.
5 - Mind Map
Creating diagrams can also help you memorize information more easily. Thus, from a main concept, relate the less important aspects progressively through maps, creating subcategories. In them, you can include any term or idea you think is important as long as the set helps you better organize the information.
Mind maps - or diagrams - are simple and easy to create, and you will find that they are much more efficient than conventional lists. They can help you remember more information because of the way it was created by following a specific line of reasoning. Try making one the next time you have to study for a history test, for example!
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We hope these simple tips will help you better cope with your long study sessions, making them less painful and much more efficient. If you have any interesting methods that work, be sure to share with us in the comments!
* Posted on 14/06/2013
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