Start Your Day by Making a To-Do List
The pressure is on when you’ll be bombarded with upcoming tests and papers to pass that’s due within five days or so.
To keep everything organized, create a to-do list of the important things that you’ll only do in that day. Never pressure yourself by doing everything all at once in just one day. For example, you have a test tomorrow and an assignment to pass in the next day. Prioritize your test first before pressuring yourself with that paper that’s due the next day after. In this way, you can get things done slowly but surely.
Study a Subject at a Slow Pace
Studying a subject for less than an hour can give your brain a time to soak in all those information you have read. Research shows that students who leave 12-24 hours of interval in studying the same subject performs better memory recall. Unless if you’re in the middle of writing your paper then it’s ok to study that subject for an hour or two.
There may be times where you really have to study a subject for hours. If you do this, make sure to take a break here and there. If you don’t, you’ll be having a hard time to retain the information you have studied.
Test Yourself Before You Feel Ready
Testing yourself throughout the entire process and not just before taking a test is the best way to learn. As humans, we hate to be wrong and we try to spend a few more days of reading a lecture over and over again just to get the right answer.
But it’s ok to be wrong. Because when you do, your brain will make connections that it hadn’t made once you reveal the correct answer to yourself. These little connections work together to enhance your brain’s memory recall, making remembering things easier and can result to better grades.
Get Rid of the “I’ll Do It Later” Habit
If you ever feel lazy of doing your schoolwork, try telling yourself that you’ll do it for 5 minutes. If you’re not feeling what you’re doing and the 5 minutes are up, then go do something else.
But the funny part is, you can actually get the thing done instead. This is one of the common things we have as people. We struggle to find motivation to do things but once we start actually doing it, we can actually finish it in no time. So if you ever feel like “you’ll do it later” next time, use the 5-minute trick to get things done.
Use Tools or Products to Spruce Up Your Study Session
Technology is evolving over time that there’s so much more to studying than just holding your pen and paper to get things done.
The hardest part is finding the right thing for you to get the work done. If you’re into tech and want to use your phone or laptop as you partner during your study sessions, then here are some apps and gadgets that might help you:
- Evernote Smart Notebook – Tired of doing the old school way of taking notes? Evernote Smart Notebook is here to save the day. You can use this notebook with the Evernote App to access instant features that can help you during your study sessions.
- Fitbit Blaze – With this device, you can get call, text, messages, and calendar notifications all in one place that resides in your wrist. So for example, you’ve set a calendar reminder on your phone about an upcoming exam, Fitbit Blaze can notify you about that reminder without even checking your phone. Also, this device can track your fitness activities. Having a healthy body is equal to a healthy mind.
- Amazon Echo – If you’re a tech geek that likes to control everything using your voice, then Amazon Echo is the right gadget for you. So for example, you want to listen to music while studying, you can just ask Amazon Echo to play your favorite playlist without even lifting your phone. Not just that, it can do so much more like opening apps, provide you with weather info, gives you real-time traffic data and more.
Keep Pushing for the Better
It’s up to you on how well you’ll do in your college life. There are a lot of college tips that’s scattered around the web and it’s your choice if you apply these tips on yourself. Or you can just follow the same generic advice you’ve heard over and over again throughout the years.
Start making your own goals and must-dos for yourself. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone to try things that you think is accountable for you. Use your mind to think deeper and differently. You’ll eventually notice an improvement in your memory recall skills, making you get better grades and as long as you apply these best study tips.