How to Study Efficiently & Effectively

As students, we’ve all experienced the agony of attempting to study. You sit down on your desk, open your modules, and just stare at your materials, as you have no will to start. It’s not even because you feel lazy; the amotivation a student feels especially around exam seasons is more common than you think, and it’s something a lot of young people face, especially now that we’re essentially done with the COVID-19 pandemic.

After going through online schooling as a result of years of lockdown, it’s understandable our brains feel like they need more catching up than we think. Believe me, getting yourself to start studying is the most taxing activity a student could ever do. You’re bound to get distracted by other factors; your environment, your mental health, your situation, anything could happen.

Being able to study effectively and efficiently under such circumstances could be easier than you think it is if you know the proper things you should do. Through the right mindset, you won’t feel too pressured anymore, you’ll have more time in a day to do your hobbies, and you’ll be able to take in information as you study. It may seem overwhelming at first, but remember to have faith in yourself: everything will work out.

1. Plan a timetable for everyday.

Planning your day is essential. Knowing that you have control of your day and time can feel empowering to you. Planning your study timetable will help you put everything into place; what should be studied at this hour, what activity you should do next. In addition, you get to add leisure time for yourself too as long as your schedule permits it. Having a study timetable will put things in perspective for you.

2. Prepare a study area you can work on.

Having a good study area can help you in working. Some people are able to work in a bustling area as it motivates them, while some could deem it as a distraction. In the end, it’s all up to your preference.

3. Keep healthy: eat, sleep, and move

Of course, studying effectively can only happen if you’re keeping yourself healthy. Make sure to keep in touch with food that is good for your body, and that you get enough sleep to properly absorb and understand information as you study. To add, moving at times - taking a walk, doing a bit of exercise - can help you relieve pent up stress that will clear your mind and make studying a bit easier in the process.

4. Minimize distractions and overcome procrastination

It's important to feel no distractions during a study session to help you focus more on what you're doing. Distractions include going on social media every 10 minutes as a reward for finishing an article or a module, by the way. You really need to immerse yourself into studying and not find anything else to think about.

Procrastination is the worst enemy a student could ever have, especially when your exams are near. It comes up because you find the task too hard, too boring, or too much. When this happens, try to break things down; don’t think of finishing it or perfecting it, just being able to write a paragraph or two is enough. This way, you can continue working on it and once you do take a proper break you’ll feel much better about yourself.

5. Take breaks for your well-being

Making the most out of a break after studying can help you feel more productive afterwards. Do the activities you love while taking a break; scroll on social media, watch a bit of Netflix, catch up on your favorite podcast, and listen to music! Studying hard and well means you should be able to reward yourself afterwards, and taking a nice break doing the stuff you love is surely a reward everyone would want and feel good about.

Studying doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems, you just need to get into the groove and it’ll all fall into place. Hopefully, through these tips, or even ones you discovered as you go on, you’ll be able to study smoothly with no problems.