Make The Most of Your Study Time At Home
1.Try Active Studying
Active study is as simple as asking questions before, during, and after study time. Not only does this help give direction to your study session, but it also helps you keep track and think about how to improve your next study session!
Questions to ask yourself before you study:
- What am I about to learn?
- What do I already know about this subject?
Questions to ask yourself while you study:
- How does this information fit into a bigger picture?
- Do I understand what I have just read?
- Can I paraphrase it?
- Are there any key words or ideas that I need to write down? Why are these words and ideas important?
Questions to ask yourself after you study:
- What can I take away from this study session?
- What do I need to review or learn next time?
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Students of all ages should have at least eight hours of sleep every night of school. This is the best way to ensure that the brain is refreshed and ready to process all the information learned during the day. It might be tempting to stay up late for cram, but it’s more beneficial to have enough rest.
Full night’s sleep is particularly important the night before the test — good night’s sleep makes you more alert and improves the memory of the test material, leading to better test results.
Study At The Right Time
Every student has his or her own highs and lows every day. Some people are night owls, while some prefer morning owls. Take advantage of the time of the day that you feel most productive, and don’t try to force yourself to study when your brainpower isn’t at its peak. Try to study when you are most alert, so that you can process and retain the information you are studying.
Have A Designated Study Area
Whether it’s a kitchen table or a desk in your bedroom, create a study area that is a designated study area. Try to reserve your bed for sleep and avoid studying in it (it can be too easy to take a nap!). Most importantly, keep your study space clean and organized so that you can spend more time studying (and less time trying to find a pen that works).
Eat Properly
Don’t forget to have a meal! Your body (and your brain) needs fuel to help you stay in top shape. Plus, it’s hard to focus on when your stomach growls. Have healthy snacks while you study, but make sure they’re prepared in advance so you don’t spend too much time away from work. More time away means more chance to be distracted!
Get Chores Out Of The Way
Before starting your study session, take care of your daily chores to avoid interruption or be distracted by an unfinished to – do list. Getting chores out of the way makes it a lot easier to focus on the task at hand. Plus, you can look forward to relaxing when your time comes to study rather than dreading the tasks that need to be completed.
Create A Timetable
Creating a schedule helps you to organize your time, schedule your breaks, and is especially useful when you have multiple subjects to study. Write down your schedule so that you can remember it and refer to it often. Set reasonable limits on how much time you spend studying each day and break your study session into manageable chunks of time.
Use A Timer
Use a timer to help keep track of the time and make sure you stick to the schedule you’ve set up. Setting up a timer helps keep you focused on the task at hand, committed to working until the timer goes off, and helps keep you on track to cover all the material you need. Above all else, it helps keep your break time effective and guilt-free (because you earned it!).