Better Ways to Study

No matter whether you are currently at university studying for a masters or you are simply taking a short business course to improve some of your entrepreneurial skills, it is essential that you study in the most effective way possible to retain the information and get the most out of it. Whether that means understanding subject selection, the ATAR, VCE scaling or even tips on how to get a high study score. With this in mind, the following article presents you with a few of the ways in which you can study better. While some of these may prove to be highly effective to you, there are others that may not work as well. Ultimately, it is all about experimenting and working out which works best for you.

Read Physical Books

While there is a wealth of material available online, this doesn’t mean that you should exclusively read off your laptop, tablet, or phone screen. Research has shown that printed books can be retained better. We do a different kind of reading when we are looking at a book compared to a screen. The former tends to be more detailed, whereas the latter tend to be done via skim reading. So, even if you find some articles online, you can learn more by printing them out and engaging with them more. For example, taking out a highlighter pen and making your own notes in the margins.

Don’t Cram

You are better off learning the course material throughout its duration rather than trying to cram everything in all at once?This site presents you with a few of the ways that you can do this during an MBA course. Of course, your course material needs to be reviewed at the end of it, but you shouldn’t be trying to learn too many complex concepts too close to the end date. Otherwise, your brain is going to struggle to take it all in, and this can end up having the opposite effect to the one that you were intending.

Exercise Before Studying

There are plenty of benefits involved in exercising, but some studies have shown that we can gain an increase in brainpower by having a workout session before sitting down for a revision session. You may be more receptive to taking in knowledge, even if you only work out for a few minutes beforehand. Plus, there are the natural mental health benefits involved in physical activity. All in all, it is certainly worth trying out to see if this works well for you.

Get Some Rest

You are never going to study in the most effective way possible if you exhaust your brain by trying to do too much. So, remember to get some rest at the times that you need it. Taking some study breaks can help to reduce your stress hormones and will make you more ready to tackle the books when you come back to them once again. The same is true of ensuring that you get your eight hours of sleep a day. You could also try napping in the middle of the day, which some experts have shown to be an effective way of learning. By studying and then taking a short nap immediately after, your brain may end up processing the information better and therefore retaining it ready for use in the immediate future.

Enjoy a Change of Scenery

It can prove to be a major issue if you are looking at the same four walls all the time. A change of scenery can be absolutely invaluable in giving your brain the stimulation it needs to better retain information. Even going into a different room of the house can prove to be effective. Alternatively, you could try learning outside and see how the fresh air benefits your knowledge retention.

Write Out a To-Do List

Many people struggle to properly concentrate on the task of studying as they feel like there is too much other stuff on their mind. To combat this, you could try writing out a to-do list. This way, you know that you have a clear document that you can come back to whenever it is needed. You could also try writing out a to-do list with regards to your studying. Try to put your most unpleasant tasks or the most challenging concepts first. This way, they are not going to hang over your head throughout the rest of your study sessions.

Find a Study Buddy

Studying can get awfully lonely if you are trying to do it all by yourself all the time. So, why not seek out a study buddy who can guide you along the path. This can prove to be a useful two-way street in which you can provide each other with motivation when the other one is feeling at their lowest ebb. As well as this, you can also share study techniques. You may find that the other person learns in a way that proves effective to you. Not only this, but you can also test each other and identify areas of weakness that need to be worked on further.

Avoid Multitasking

We live in a world that is absolutely packed with distractions, so try removing these as much as possible. One of the biggest distractions comes from your smartphone, so it can help you to shut this away in a drawer or put it out of the room entirely. Multitasking can actually end up extending your study time rather than helping you to complete a variety of jobs, so try to focus on one thing at a time rather than allowing your attention to be pulled in a million different directions all at once.

Change Subject When You Are Bored

Rather than getting burned out by focusing too much on a single subject, you are better off switching when you feel like your attention span is starting to wane. This way, when you return to the subject, you can go back with a new sense of enthusiasm rather than being too jaded about it. This break can prove to be invaluable in you retaining information.