How To Study Effectively: Essential Tips

‘Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.’

– Jim Rohn

While one helps you stay on the track, the other carves the way for you. Without motivation, you cannot stay consistent whereas, without good habits, you cannot reach your destination.

For instance, if you vision to score well in your exams or want a particular job in future, you’ll have to work hard in your present.  This can be done by inculcating good study habits in your present. Until and unless you have the right habits, you cannot achieve what you desire.

Developing good study habits instruct us how to study effectively. They are the means to effective learning.

Though there isn’t any ideal set of habits that should be followed, the ones mentioned below are certainly beneficial. They will help you find the answer to the question, ‘How to study effectively?’ Some might contradict the age-old beliefs, but others can be called oldie-goldies.

Following are the good study habits that can give you rewarding results.

• Right Mindset

Set your goals and chalk out the way to achieve them, this is what everyone says, right? But what if you don’t have a proper mindset for it?

What if you are clueless about your expectations?

Believe me or not, until you don’t have a right mindset towards something, you can’t really go a long way. It is crucial to have a right mindset as it keeps you sorted and focused.

Ask yourself that why am I studying this topic? Is it the score, degree or the learning that matters? And set a right mindset before you set a goal.

• Engage Maximum Senses

Ah! You must have a prior acquaintance with this tip. I had it too.

But, however old it is, developing this habit is of great use. It helps you built a proper sync between your motor and cognitive skills. This is the reason that it is recommended to accompany learning with writing.

Writing or marking the important facts will help you remember the concepts for a longer time. Making it your study habit will assert easy memorization and a better understanding of the subject matter. So, next time to you begin to study, try to engage as many senses as possible.

• Alternate Study Space

Sounds like a contradiction to a cliche? Doesn’t matter, it’s very helpful. It has been proven that studying different topics at different locations help you retain information for a longer time.

According to a report by New York Times, our memory is colored by location. If we switch between different study locales, the probability of retaining things for longer will increase. Breaking the age old belief, it stands for the fact that switching among different study spaces is beneficial.

• Proper Rest – Eat and Sleep Well

It might sound hackneyed, but this is a fact. If you don’t sleep or eat well, you cannot perform well. Proper sleep and nutritious food are among the few essentials for a student. So while ingraining study habits in you, remember to add this one as well. It will not only help in studying better, but also give you a leg up for maximum utilization of your time, energy, and resources. The National Sleep Foundation, United States, asserted that students should take a sleep of at least 8 to 10 hours in a day.

• Find Out the Right Strategy

By this, I do not mean that one should follow a strategy, method, or technique that is followed by everyone else. Rather, I suggest you develop a strategy that suits you the best. As there isn’t any set pattern or a rule book to follow.

For instance, if you learn better while walking around in the rooms instead of sitting at one place, then do it that way. If you learn better while reading sentences aloud, go for it. Every student is different and so is his/her studying strategy.

• Don’t Procrastinate

‘You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again.’
– Benjamin Franklin

Easy to say, than to be done, isn’t it? We always find ourselves advising each other that now is the right time; don’t delay things; there’s nothing like tomorrow; and what not. But when it comes to us, the situation is completely different. We put off things for tomorrow and keep on piling them up until they become huge. Having this tendency is a hurdle between you and your success. Unlike all other idiosyncrasies, this is the one that shouldn’t be a part of your study habits.

• Schedule Your Study Time

This habit will be fruitful for you throughout your life. Time is the most powerful thing, and once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Indeed, time waits for none. Therefore, one should have a proper schedule. And if you are a student, time management becomes imperative. So, schedule your study time and cling to it. Doing this will help you stay more organized and sorted.

• Understand, Don’t Cram

Exams are approaching, and you wallow in last minute cramming. It might have helped you score good, hasn’t it? But what if you come across those questions again? Can you still answer those questions? Or can you explain what did you learn from them? Ah! I know you can’t because it wasn’t learning but cramming. And if I would have been at your place, it would’ve been the same.

So, rather than cramming the focus should be on understanding the subject. As if you will focus on the later, your scores will rise automatically. So, study on a regular basis and try to understand the concepts. Being accustomed to this habit will always keep you motivated and connected with your studies.

• Avoid Distractions

In today’s time when online and offline education go hand in hand. No doubt, the internet is turning out to be a boon for all of us. It keeps us abreast of all updates, but at the same time, it is the biggest distraction, too. So, if not needed, cut yourself away from your laptops, mobile phone, and other gadgets. Avoid all such distractions while studying. This will help you concentrate better. Mobile apps like Self Control for Study restrict your access to social media for a set period.

• Be Inquisitive

A student’s mind should always be inquisitive. Be an agog and asks questions. The more you question, the better you learn. It should be a hunt for finding the answer to every ‘why’ that strikes your mind. One of the famous quotes by Mahatma Gandhi also suggests that “Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness are the first requisite for acquiring learning of any kind.” Other than being curious and probing questions, inquisitiveness makes you more experimenting.

So, these are some of the study habits that I think a student should develop to make studying & learning go hand in hand. However, they are not the only habits to be successful neither they’ll benefit equally to each one of you. But, they are sure among those, which if followed wisely, can do wonders to you academically as well as comprehensively.

Adopt the habits, which you think are helpful for you and not the ones that anyone else thinks are right for you.
Keep on building new habits and make the best out of everything you have. Good Luck!

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