Good Study Habits

• Find a good place to study

  • Finding a good location to study is one of the most important elements of studying well. Look for a quiet place with minimal distractions—someplace where you’ll be able to focus, and won’t be interrupted by loud sounds or people who constantly want your attention.

    A school or public library, a coffee shop, or a quiet corner of your house can all be good places to start.

  Should I stick to one place to study?

  Not necessarily. Some studies show that occasionally changing where you study can help retain information. This is because studying the same material in different locations helps your brain create multiple associations with that material, making it easier for you to remember it [1]. It can be beneficial to find three or four places you like to study and switch locations when you’re feeling stuck or need a change of pace. That said, everybody is different. Find what works best for you.

• Minimize distractions.

  Picking a good location to study can be the first step in keeping yourself focused on your work. But there are many types of distractions that can reach you no matter where you choose to work. Here are some tips on minimizing these distractions:

  • Turn off your wifi: If you’re working on a computer and you don’t need your wifi, try turning it off. This can keep you from inadvertently wandering into the distracting parts of the internet.
  • Be mindful of your phone: It’s no secret that our smartphones can be hugely distracting. Turning off your notifications, keeping your phone out of sight in your bag, or giving it to a friend to keep you from checking it too often can help you stay focused. You might also try a focus app, like Forest or Focus To-Do, that can block distracting apps and set timers for study sessions.
  • Study with a friend: Sometimes studying with a friend or two, whether or not you’re working on the same material, can help keep you accountable and focused. Make sure you each are on the same page about studying and keeping one another distraction-free, at least until it’s time to take a break.

• Take breaks

  Taking intentional breaks has been linked to better retention, increased attention, and boosts in energy. Research shows that working for around 50 minutes, then giving yourself a 15- to 20-minute break, can lead to optimum productivity [3]. Here are a few ways you can give yourself a break:

  • Take a short walk
  • Listen to a mood-boosting song
  • Relax with a friend
  • Stretch
  • Meditate
  • Zone out and daydream
  • Have a snack
  • Take a shower
  • Clean your desk or room

  Not all breaks are created equal. Checking your phone or social media as a study break has actually been linked to a decrease in performance [4].

• Space out your studying

  Cramming can still help you get a good grade on a test, but studies show that you’re much more likely to forget that information as soon as the test is over. Really holding onto the material you learned (and making exam seasons less stressful) requires consistent and well-spaced study sessions.

  Instead of saving your studying for before a test, briefly review material you learned once a week. If you are studying for an exam, space out your studying up to several weeks (or even months, depending on the test) leading up to the exam day. This can help you retain the information long term.

• Set study goals for each session

  Set study goals for each session of studying you have. These can be time-based or content-based. For example, you might aim to study for two hours, or review three chapters of your textbook—or both.

  Don’t be too harsh on yourself if you didn’t get through as much as you had planned; sometimes studying can take longer than expected. Keep taking well-spaced breaks, and schedule another study session.

• Reward yourself

  Rewarding yourself with treats—“bribing” yourself—has been linked to better self-control, and can be helpful in forming good habits [5]. Telling yourself you’ll get a small reward if you finish the section you wanted to get through, or perhaps a larger reward if you have a productive day of studying, can be good motivation to get to your goal.

  Small rewards can be a candy bar, a hot drink from your favorite coffee shop, a quick game of your choice, or a short episode of a TV show. Bigger rewards for a long day of studying or getting done with an exam can include getting your favorite meal, spending some time relaxing with friends, or making time for your favorite activity.

• Study with a group

  There are several benefits to forming a study group. Group members can help one another work through difficult problems, provide encouragement, hold each other accountable to studying goals, provide different perspectives, and make studying more enjoyable. Even explaining difficult concepts to others can help with comprehension and retention.

  If you have a group study session, set a goal the group will work towards and take periodic breaks as you would studying by yourself.

• Take practice tests

  Tests and practice tests have been long seen as useful tools to help students learn and retain information. Besides revealing gaps in knowledge and reducing exam anxiety, being tested makes us retrieve information from memory—a powerful, study-backed way of holding onto information we’ve learned [6].

  Don’t have a practice exam? There are several ways you can “test” yourself and gain the same benefits. Try the following methods:

  • Create flashcards
  • Write your own questions
  • Search for practice questions online
  • Have a friend quiz you

• Use your own words

  Expressing an idea in your own words increases your understanding of a subject and helps your brain hang on to information. After you read a section of text, summarize important points by paraphrasing.

• Ask for help

  You might find yourself stuck on a problem or unable to understand the explanation in a textbook. Somebody who is able to walk through the issue with you might provide the fresh explanation you need. Approach your teacher or professor, teaching assistant, friend, or study group member for new ways to understand what you’re stuck on. Feel like you can benefit from being coached through a subject? Consider looking for a tutor.

  And don’t forget the myriad online tools that might be at your disposal, like the Khan Academy. A quick search through Google or YouTube can also surface helpful articles or videos on subjects you’re trying to grasp.

• Take care of yourself

  At the end of the day, your brain is an organ in your body—take care of it by taking care of yourself. Get regular exercise, eat well, don’t overdrink, get good sleep, and take care of your mental wellbeing.

  • Sleep: Studies have linked sleep deprivation to decreased cognitive function, including reduced attention spans and doing worse on tests [7]. Everybody’s sleep needs are different, but people typically need between seven and eight-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. Plus, getting more sleep can make you happier and benefit your social life.
  • Food: Try to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, plant sources of proteins, nuts, and unsaturated oils like olive oil into your diet, all of which have been linked to better cognitive performance [8].
  • Exercise: Exercise brings oxygen to the part of your brain responsible for thought, encourages the development of new nerve cells, and boosts brain cell connections [8]. This makes for brains that are more neuroplastic and efficient—plus it brings a host of other health benefits, like lower blood pressure, reduced mental stress, and weight control.
  • Mental wellness: Mental health is important because it helps us deal with stress, improves our relationships with others, allows us to live more meaningfully, and be more productive in our work. Exercising, eating well, and getting good sleep can each boost our mental health. But there are other ways of fortifying mental strength, such as connecting with others, practicing gratitude, meditating, and developing a sense of meaning in life [9].

• Create a weekly schedule

      When you schedule time for a particular task like studying, you’re saying to yourself, “I’m going to focus on studying at this time, on this date, and it’s going to take this number of hours.”
  

  Once it’s down in writing, it becomes a reality and you’re more likely to stick to it. This might sound weird, but it’s true. Do this in your calendar, in a spreadsheet, or download a template – whatever works best for you. First, think about your fixed commitments like school, sports practice, family time, religious activities and so on. Now, decide which times around these fixed commitments are the best for you to do your work and revision each week. Don’t worry about exactly what work you’ll be doing, or what assignments are due. Just focus on blocking out the times.

• Create a pre-study checklist

  By using a shopping list, your mind will be focused. You’ll only put items in your shopping trolley that you need, checking them off as you go.

  It’s no different from a checklist used by a pilot before he takes off, or a mechanic as he services a car.

  Checklists are essential as you learn how to develop good study habits. They ensure that you cover all the necessary steps to achieve an outcome.

  Here are some of the things that might be on your pre-studying checklist:

  • Set up workspace
  • Make sure your phone is in another room or turned off
  • Let family members know not to disturb you until the end of the study session
  • Gather together all the notes and reference books needed
  • Get a glass of water
  • Set timer

  Keep your checklist handy, and tick everything off at the start of every study session.

• Create a Study Plan

  The purpose of a study plan is similar to that of a checklist. It keeps you on track.

  When you go camping, you might have a checklist that covers all the equipment you need to pack into the car.

  But you also need a road map to show you how to get to the campsite. It allows you to plan your route, and keeps you focused on your destination.

  So, at the start of each study session, create a study plan.

  For example, today you might need to complete a math assignment and write up the summary notes of chapter 4 of your history textbook.

  Write down the key tasks, together with a list of steps you’ll need to take along the way.

  To complete your math assignment, you might write:

  • Read notes from math class
  • Read chapter in the textbook on algebraic calculations
  • Do questions 1 to 3

  Your study plan will help you concentrate on what you need to get done today, without being distracted by the things that can wait until tomorrow.

• Study offline as much as possible

  When you study, you want to be focused, which means limiting all those annoying interruptions that happen when you’re online.

  Switch off your Internet connection and give your brain the peace and quiet it needs to concentrate.

  And while you’re at it, try not to use a laptop to take notes.

  This may sound like strange advice, but research has shown that taking notes by hand is a much smarter way of learning.

  When you write notes by hand, your brain absorbs the meaning of what you’re writing. But when you use a laptop, you’re not processing what you’re learning as deeply.

• Learn how to motivate yourself

  Do you find that sometimes it’s almost impossible to start studying? In fact, your body feels like a heavy stone as you drag yourself towards your workspace.

  Don’t worry. Everyone feels like that from time to time.

  You just need to know how to motivate yourself to study, and to do that we’re going to create another list.

  This time, write down all the reasons why you want to study hard, such as:

  • I want to do my best
  • I want to become more disciplined
  • I want to prepare well for the future
  • I want to develop perseverance
  • I want to learn as much as I can

  Put your list somewhere you can see it. The next time you feel like watching TV instead of studying, go through your list.

  You’ll be fired up and ready to get back to your studies in no time!

• Take notes during class

  Taking notes in class is an *important study tip to implement.*

  Why?

  Think about the number of classes you go to every day at school and the mountain of information that gets thrown at you.

  You’d never be able to remember everything you learned without taking notes.

  Taking notes also helps you to absorb and retain information much better than just listening.

  And lastly, think of your class notes as the backbone of your *focused study time.* They sum up what you’ve learned, and they make your study time more efficient.

  (Here are some proven tips on *how to take notes effectively.)*

• Review what you learned in school that day

  Reviewing new information you learned in class is one of the most effective study habits you can develop.

  Before the end of each day, read the notes you took or re-read the chapter that your teacher taught in class.

  It won’t take long to do, and it will help you retain what you learned. It will also make the process of moving the information from short-term to long-term memory smoother.

• Read your notes before doing your homework

  This is similar to the last study habit we talked about.

  The first thing you should do in your study session is to re-read the notes you took in class before you start the homework assignment for that topic.

  Don’t forget to include this task in your study plan (see Habit #3).

  It will refresh your memory, so you’ll be well prepared to tackle the homework assignment.

• Stay on top of your homework

  This may sound like an obvious habit to cultivate as a student, but I’m often surprised by the number of students who let their homework pile up.

  If it gets out of hand, just the thought of doing your homework can become overwhelming and stressful.

  Before you know it, you’ll find yourself working so hard to catch up, you’ll have no time to study for important *tests and exams, which are stressful enough on their own.*

  One of the most effective study habits to practice is to start your homework on the day it’s assigned.

  At the very least, take a look at the questions while the information you learned is still fresh in your mind.

  That way, if you have to come back to it later, you’ll have a rough framework as a starting point, making it much easier to complete.

• Test yourself periodically

  Don’t wait for regular tests and exams to come around before you start studying. Set mini-tests for yourself every few weeks.

  You may have reviewed your class notes once, but it doesn’t mean the information has been absorbed or effectively memorized for a future exam.

  Here’s how to test yourself…

  When you review your class notes, highlight some of the key things you’ve learned.

  For example, in history it might be the date of an important event. Write down some test questions on a separate sheet of paper as you go, such as “When did the war start?” or “What caused the civil war?”

  The next day, pull out the test questions and see how many answers you can remember.

  It takes some effort to succeed at a test you give yourself, but that effort will be rewarded when it comes to exam time.

• Check your work before you consider it done

  When you finish an assignment, don’t consider it done until you’ve double-checked your work for careless mistakes.

  Here’s what you should be looking out for:

  • Spelling mistakes
  • Grammar mistakes
  • Poor presentation
  • Have I responded to the question?
  • Have I left out key facts?
  • Have I got the equations correct?

• Keep a “worry” list

  It’s common for students to worry about not doing well, but it’s a distracting pastime.

  When you worry about something, it can hinder your ability to focus on learning and improving.

  That’s why you need to keep a “worry” list.

  Strange as it may sound, research has shown that writing down a list of your fears about school can actually improve your grades.

  When you write down a list of your worries, it’s as though you’re unloading your anxieties and freeing up your brain to concentrate on learning.

  So whenever a worry pops into your mind, write it down and move on.

• Use the Pomodoro Technique

  The Pomodoro Technique

  Procrastination or a lack of focus is a big problem during study time.

  We’ve already talked about the need to take regular breaks (see Habit #13), but there’s another method you might find useful.

  It’s called the Pomodoro Technique.

  The idea is that you’ll stay on top of your work if you break your study periods up into focused but manageable bursts of 25 minutes.

  This is instead of trying to concentrate for two hours or more at a go, which takes a lot of energy and willpower.

  The objective is to train your brain to focus on a task that needs to be completed and postpone all distractions until later.

  Here’s how it works:

• Set a timer for 25 minutes
• Concentrate 100% on studying until the timer rings
• Take a five-minute break – and remember to step away from your desk
• Repeat until the end of your study session

(this is not something I thought up myself. I used another website, but idk which website. I'm NOT claiming credit for this)