Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Study tips


Following tips can be useful and help to study effectively.

  1. Do not engage in sport or tire yourself before you sit either for a test or a study period. You should be relaxed before you engage in the task which requires thinking, concentration etc.

  2. Ensure that you are not hungry, sleepy, tired, thirsty and don’t need to go to the toilet before you sit to study or give a test. This will make sure that there are no unnecessary interruptions.

  3. If you experience that while studying your mind is occupied by various thoughts, you can write whatever comes to your mind before you actually sit for study. This will help you to clear your mind of the thoughts and thus increase concentration. You may tear off the page after you have released the thoughts.

  4. Eat brain foods before you study or when you take a break during your study. Bananas, dry fruits, chocolates (in moderation) helps the brain to stay awake.

  5. In the break time, you can listen to music which relaxes your mind and body. In music stores, CDs of relaxation music are available.

  6. Graphic organizers are semantic maps which offer a visual representation of ideas. When students organize and design these maps, they apply important analytical skills as they think about how ideas are inter-related.

Time management

Managing your time effectively is an important part of studying. One common mistake is to try to create an overly restrictive schedule which doesn't work, and then feel very guilty that it doesn't work. Telling yourself that scheduling just doesn't work for you is another common mistake.

The following list will guide you through time management.

Schedule - Have a regular study time and place each day - This helps put you in study mode. It's what Pavlov did with his dogs. ("Good doggy. Now study! Studyyy...")

Prioritize - Make a list of what you have to do and list it in order of importance. Schedule the important stuff first.

Plan your sessions - Do the difficult stuff first. That way, by the time you can barely add 1 to 1, that's all you have left to do.

Prepare - Get everything you'll need together BEFORE you start studying.

Take breaks - Don't study longer than 50 minutes at a stretch. Use the other ten for a run around the block, or eat a snack. Hmm... Maybe run around the block AFTER the snack. Taking a 5-minute hot shower is another excellent solution.

Avoid getting stuck - If you can't figure something out, skip it, and get help later. Skipping everything is not allowed.

Divide and conquer - Break your projects up into smaller bits, and complete those bits one by one.

Set Milestones – Setting milestones help to manage the time and task better. You can also set rewards for reaching those milestones.

Reward yourself - The reward can be small, like treating yourself to some ice cream, or larger, like buying that new outfit you've had your eye on. Rewards also don't have to cost money, like going to play some basketball with some friends at the park. Enjoy yourself when you pass a milestone, stick to your reward plans to make them more worth reaching.

Use your time wisely - Use the days for tough activities like studying, and evenings for easier stuff like reviewing. On second thought, better schedule the latter during the day as well.

Review regularly – Regular reviewing benefits taking stock of the work done. We have said this before. It's important. Better read it again.

Say "No!" to distractions


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