How to be effective at studying?

    Learning is a lifelong process. The earlier you understand this, the easier it will be for you to face the challenges that come with the process of learning.
Many of the students struggle with studying. Maybe they don’t know how to improve their learning skills or maybe they don’t have an idea which studying strategies are most effective for them.
So if you are one of these students, please pay attention on these studying strategies.

Before you start to study decide WHEN to study.

• Take a few minutes and make a plan for studying. Start with two hours of daily studying.
• If you have difficult or boring subjects, put them in your daily studying plan first. Study these subjects while you are fresh and full with energy. Save the subjects that you enjoying learning for latter.
• Study in shorter sessions (2-3 hours). They are more productive than long studying sessions (5-6 hours). If you want to stay concentrated and effective, you need to give yourself a break time.
• Observe yourself and decide what part of the day is the best for you to study. Maybe you are learning more during the day or late in the night. Determine your best learning time and be smart how you spend it.

Then, find an appropriate place to study.    

• Use the same place to study every day. In that way you are training your body to know that when you arrive in that particular place, it’s time to study. 

• Don’t choose your bed to be a place where you will study. If your studying place is too comfortable, there are many chances you will fall asleep, especially when the subject is really boring or hard for you.
• Go to the library. Maybe you will be more motivated and disciplined to study while you are watching how other students are studying.
• Sometimes try to study in a group. Studying groups can be a good place to encourage yourself with other students.
• Avoid noise distractions. Don’t study in a front of the TV. If you think that you study better with music, find kind of music that will help you to be more concentrated for studying.

Here are some of the strategies that you can try and use to make your studying more effective and productive:

• Identify what is really needed. Look carefully over your material and decide what is really important for you to know, to be prepared and ready for your next exam.
• Work strategically. Set yourself clear goals and work towards them.
• Make the material meaningful. Look for the meaning, how things work, rather than focusing yourself on remembering information. If you understanding the subject, the whole studying process will be easier for you.
• Look for links. Be active and search out links between different topics of the subject.
• Work with others. When you work with other students you can share ideas and gain mutual support. Studying with others makes the learning process more interesting.
• Take care of yourself. Take a break when you are tired. When you are tired and stressed, your studying time can’t be effective and productive. So, take a rest and time to recover your energy.

    If sometimes you feel the need for some extra motivation to study for your next exams, try to find your own creative ways how or where you can study. Maybe the process of learning is hard, but try to remind yourself that one day you will be glad and proud of yourself, for what you have done.