Making Your Study Time Count
Whenever you spend time studying, make sure that every moment counts. That way you will find it more rewarding and easier in the long run. Little and often is usually better than leaving things to the last minute - and you'll be surprised at how quickly you learn and retain the information you need.
Here are some excellent tips to help you make the time you spend studying as productive as possible:
- Build variety into your study plan
Try to avoid spending too long on just one topic. Design your study plan to mix your study sessions up a bit. If you've spent the last 20 minutes grappling with new material, spend the next 10 minutes reviewing a subject you covered in last week's study plan.
- Tackle the hardest material at the start of your session
In other words, plan to take on the toughest learning challenge while your brain is fresh and your concentration razor-sharp. At the end of your study period you might want to switch to something less demanding - like reviewing your notes from an earlier part of the course.
- Practice 'active' learning
As we outlined earlier in this section, 'active' learning means reacting to what you're reading. For instance, after you've read a paragraph, take a moment to stop and summarise the main point in your own words. Do you agree with what's being said? Think about how this material relates to other parts of the course. Build time into your study plan for active learning.
- Cover everything three times
This is a really simple way of making your study plan more effective. First, scan a page of text quickly for the key points and the overall meaning. Second, read it through thoroughly. Third, put the text itself on one side and carry out a mental 'review'. See if you can now summarise what you've just learned from memory - then jot it down. Building up your study plan in this way means that you will retain material more easily.
- Decide to 'be here now'
It's easy to let your mind wander. So get into the habit of catching yourself whenever this happens. When it does, try saying the words 'be here now' out loud. With repeated use, this simple phrase can be a powerful way to bring your focus back onto your study plan. You can then leave all those distracting thoughts to be dealt with later.
- Don't underline your study texts - use a highlighter
Why? Because research shows that text you highlight is easier to remember than text you simply underline. It's another simple tip - but it works!