Study smart 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Aug 28, 2019English and Study Tips, Smart Brains Spotlight

Nela Canovic

Smart Brains Spotlight

You learn something new every day; what did you learn today?

The topic for today is “How do smart students study?“. Learning should be for life. Every moment of every day we are being presented with new and important lessons. Here we will present you one handpicked new and important lesson every day from smart brains and experts around the world.

How do smart students study? Nela will get right down to it: smart students know there’s a difference between studying harder and studying smarter. Here’s a compilation of 7 smarter study techniques that can yield positive results. 7 study tips smart students use.

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Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Thank you, Nela Canovic and Quora.

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

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Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

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7 Tips On How To Study Smart

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Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Thank you, Nela Canovic and Quora.

I’ll get right down to it: smart students know there’s a difference between studying harder and studying smarter.

The studying harder version takes a heck of a long time (think 8–12 hour study sessions), is exhausting both physically and mentally, and can drain your energy right up to the point of exam day. That’s the opposite of what you actually need.

The studying smarter version takes much less time (because the study sessions are shorter), requires strategic thinking, promotes better focus, and keeps your energy levels up until exam day. And that is exactly what will help you get the job done.

I’ve talked to a lot of smart students over the course of my undergraduate and graduate studies, and I consulted with professors to get their take on this topic. The one thing I noticed is that smart students use shortcuts — they practice techniques on a regular basis (in other words, every day) in order to achieve the results they want.

Here’s a compilation of 7 smarter study techniques that can yield positive results.

Technique #1. Commit to reaching ONE study goal a day.

Narrow down your workload instead of overwhelming yourself. The best way to get your mind on board to concentrate on studying is to start the day with a question: “What is the one thing I am committed to completing today?”

Why it’s important: It will encourage you to think strategically about the day, keep you focused on your top study goal, and force you to prioritize the one goal that you want to reach by the end of the day. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have many study goals, but it does means that you can finish one today (read a certain number of chapters or practice exam questions, for example), so that you can concentrate better on your other goals in the days that follow.
How you can practice it: Write the question in big bold letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall. Pick a location where you can easily see the question as soon as you wake up (next to your bed or the bathroom mirror, for example). Then, read it out loud as you start your day. Take a few moments to think what you want to prioritize, and then come up with an answer and say it out loud too. Later, as you go through the day, make sure you’re working on completing what you’ve identified as your study goal for that day.

Technique #2. Tackle the most difficult material EARLY.

It’s all about taking advantage of your circadian rhythm, which dictates which activities we’re more likely to do best at certain times of the day. That way you maximize your peak performance time.

What is peak performance time? For most people, your brain’s peak performance happens 2-4 hours after you wake up. This is the time when your brain can focus on analytical thinking that requires the most concentration. For studying, this can be reading, writing, coding, analyzing, critical thinking, or problem solving.
When should you study? If you wake up at 8, your peak times are between 10 and 12. And just because it’s noon, it doesn’t mean you have to stop; feel free to extend this time for another hour or so to maximize your peak performance and wrap up an important section, chapter, or lecture.
What are the benefits? Doing your hard work early in the day allows your brain to focus fully on the problem at hand, with fewer distractions, less inputs from your environment, and with a lot of energy that you’ve gained from a restful night. It’s the exact opposite of what can happen if you leave your toughest studying for nighttime, when you are exhausted, both mentally and physically, from the day.

Technique #3. Work in SHORTER time increments.

You don’t need to be sitting at your desk for hours in order to pass an exam with top marks. Use a timer to better manage your study session. That way you allow your brain to focus in a more targeted and effective way. Here are some examples.

Read and review study material. Set the timer to 30 or 60 minute increments to maximize concentration; or, for really short bursts of study, try the Pomodoro technique which consists of 25 minute blocks of time, followed by 5 minute breaks.
Practice exam questions. Use the review questions from your textbook or handouts prepared by your professor; you can also create your own questions based on the most important concepts from each chapter. Write the questions down on a sheet of paper. Then, use the Pomodoro technique to rehearse for the exam. Give yourself only a short time to answer each question. Use each 25-minute block of time to cover several questions, and go down the list until you’ve covered them all.
Take breaks. When you’re done with one timed segment, step away from your desk and do something completely unrelated to work: get some fresh air, stretch, have a snack, grab a cup of coffee or tea.

Technique #4. Become a master at taking NOTES.

Don’t just sit and read the textbook passively — write stuff down. This improves your brain’s cognitive skills, makes retention of information easier, and boosts memory.

Write what’s relevant. This includes key concepts, ideas, and topics. Don’t waste time writing down every single word, Instead, boost your critical thinking skills by identifying what is relevant to the topic. An excellent example of how to write relevant information is to use the Cornell Method.
Use bulleted lists. This saves time, enables you to skim the material when you need it, helps you locate information faster, and makes the review process easier.
Use color. Get notes more organized with multi-colored pens, markers, or highlighters to emphasize the most important sections. Use specific colors to highlight top priority concepts, then pick other colors to identify second level priority items such as examples and additional information.

Technique #5. Be merciless at eliminating DISTRACTIONS.

Don’t let distractions rule your life. Here’s how an average scenario looks like: you think you’ll spend ten minutes browsing Facebook or Twitter, and next thing you know two hours pass by without you noticing. And on top of everything, you’re starting to feel overwhelmed and maybe even stressed out with all that information overload. It’s time to minimize all that noise.

Check your email and social media apps only 2–3 times a day(around lunchtime, later in the afternoon, and evening).
Set your phone to Airplane mode when you need to focus, or simply turn off the volume and put it away for a few hours.
Avoid browsing the Internet or reading the daily news; leave these activities for later after you’ve completed all the items you need to cover.
Set expectations with others by letting them know you won’t be available in the next few hours; this can apply to family members, classmates, and close friends.

Technique #6. TEACH what you learned to boost memorization.

One of the most powerful memory techniques is recalling newly learned information by teaching it to someone else or simply retelling it to yourself out loud. This helps you review, recall, and retain what you’ve learned better than just silently looking over the material. Here’s how.

Get an audience. It can be a close friend, study partner or family member. Too shy to speak to anyone? Pretend you have a couple of invisible students who really need to learn what you just covered, or use the family dog to be your attentive listener – chances are they’ll enjoy the attention!
Create a private classroom. Take a large sheet of white paper (or tape together several sheets for a bigger writing surface), then tape it to your bedroom wall at eye level. Be sure you have some leg room to stand in front of it. Have a pen handy, and a thick black marker (or different colored highlighters) to underline important concepts.
Get to work. Write an outline of the most important points in the chapter you just covered, then go over the concepts aloud one by one. Make your “lecture” come alive by drawing diagrams on the side and by providing a few examples. At the end, summarize the key parts of your lecture and highlight these sections with your thick marker, which can help you recall details better and solidify what you’ve learned.

Technique #7. Get enough SLEEP.

Sleep is beneficial for the brain. Neuroscientists believe that sleep can help us learn and memorize better, and also give our brain time to get rid of unnecessary waste. Conversely, chronic sleep deprivation can reduce our cognitive abilities, can impact our concentration, and can even reduce IQ.

How can you optimize your sleep? Adjust your sleeping position so that you sleep on your side. According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the brain’s glymphatic pathway (the exchange of two fluids, the cerebrospinal fluid in your brain and the interstitial fluid in your body) helps to eliminate “brain junk,” and this process of elimination is most effective when we sleep on our side. The result? You wake up more refreshed the next day with a clear mind.
What helps to unwind faster in the evening? There are things you can do each evening to make the transition from study time to sleep time easier. Step away from your computer and TV because the light may be keeping you alert without you even being aware of it. Have a cup of herbal tea, some warm milk with honey, or a magnesium supplement. Do something relaxing 15–20 minutes before bedtime: listen to some music, read a chapter of that book you’ve wanted to start, or just close your eyes and breathe deeply for 10 counts before you brush your teeth and get ready for bed.

Reference: Nela Canovic, “How do smart students study?” originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Study smart 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Nela Canovic

Smart Brains Spotlight

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

English Studies Hacks

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Nela Canovic

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7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Study Smart – 7 Tips On How To Study Smart

Here’s a compilation of 7 smarter study techniques that can yield positive results.

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