Studying, something each and every one of us has dreaded as a student. No matter how much you love finding out what the value of x is or who killed whom in what war in which year and why does the Earth rotate around the sun, you are bound to get bored of it at some point or another. Probably, this means you’re going to get bad grades, which may means you’re not going to get into an Ivy League university or even a decent one, which means probably you’re not going to get a high-paying job, which ultimately means you’re not going to be able to afford a high-speed internet connection. (Got you there, didn’t I?) So here’s a little something to help you out:
1. Wifi later or wifi now? What is the biggest thing that is causing you distraction? Come on, answer honestly, we all know it is definitely not the spinning around of your fan. Correct, it’s the internet. Turn it off. Go offline. You’re not going to fall back in life if you miss out on a few updates on twitter or if you don’t instantly know what badly taken selfie your friends are uploading on Facebook. But you know how you will fall back? By falling into that whole vicious cycle that starts with not getting good grades.
2. Mentor yourself, you are all you have – Motivate yourself. Become the dog, the experimenter, the meat and the sound of the bell. You are your own experiment. A fun way to do this would be to make some chits and write on each one about a little treat you’d give yourself upon finishing the task at hand. So every time you do some studying, you get a chit and with that, some awesomeness to pull you through.
3. Strategize, Soldier! So once you’ve figured out the fun part, you’ll definitely have a more positive outlook on things and feel well motivated to get to it. The first step now, is to get your plan of action sorted. Organize your total study material into sections and make a schedule for yourself. A point to note here is that you must remember to give yourself some space depending on how you like to do things. (Which brings us to our next point.)
4. All in or steady and slow? Well of course there are always some cheetahs and hyenas who want to run ahead but remember, if a tortoise can beat a rabbit, anything can happen. Figure out your working style and the amount of work you can do per day and based on that, create a schedule. You’re just going to lose focus after a point if you overdo it, so it’s better to make a schedule that you’ll actually be able to stick to. To make sure things don’t become to drab, you could try alternating between subjects instead of doing one entire subject at a time.
5. Carve your niche – No, not literally. But more like, finding a corner that fits you perfectly. Find a place where you can sit comfortably for a long period of time without getting interrupted or disturbed. Just for kicks, put a tag outside the place too that says “Aum, I’m focusing” or maybe “Nerding it up, DND.” Try and study at this place as much as you can because apparently, it is saving all your work energy and putting your focused vibes in one place and creating a concentration-friendly environment.
6. Role play is the way to go – Uh, no, not the dirty things you’re thinking. What I mean is, read out loud. As soon as you’re done with a section, ask yourself random annoying questions a teacher would ask in class. Pretend you’re both the student, and the teacher.
7. Write, write till you succeed – Taking notes is the best idea ever! This means you’re not going to fall asleep no matter how much of a drag your textbook is. And moreover, someone considered to be extraordinarily brilliant once said that writing once equals reading 10 times so hey, you’ve basically revised 10 times when you’re taking notes. How amazing is that?
8. Sleep is the fuel that keeps your body going – You’re definitely not going to be able to concentrate on your studies if you’ve been up all night watching movies and then had classes all day which means you’re extremely low on energy when you sit down in your niche to study. So it should come as no surprise if nothing goes through your brain because it has already shut down and gone to bed!
9. Beep goes the alarm! One of the major things we waste time on is daydreaming. So set an alarm for every 30 minutes to check up on yourself and pull you out of the daze. It will also help you keep a check on how much time you’ve spent studying a certain topic.
10. Reflect, Revise, Recap – The most effective way of motivating yourself to be able to focus better is to reflect upon what you have done throughout the week, revise all your notes, and recap all the things you’ve left out, if at all. So now you’re all set for the next week, proud of what’s been done and excited to do what’s next!
Keeping these little things in mind is truly going to help you get on top of your nerd game so you better write these tips down (rather, bookmark). You’re welcome.
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch as I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
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