Study Smarter, Not Longer: 5 Essential Tips to Enhance Your Learning Experience
Many students invest countless hours in studying, only to find that their efforts don’t yield the expected results, highlighting the importance of learning how to study smarter.
The path to effective studying isn’t always straightforward, and while individuals have unique learning processes that might work for them, there are many methods that you can use to enhance your studying.
Here are 5 tips on how to study smarter, not longer without sacrificing hours or compromising your mental well-being:
#1: Prioritise self-care
Before diving into intense studying sessions or facing upcoming exams, prioritise yourself.
Sleep and nutritious food are essential for your brain, so sleep and eat well before you start studying. Ensure to fuel up with a balanced nutritious meal and stock up on snacks that are good for brain power like walnuts, which are excellent sources of protein, and brain-boosting dark chocolate.
Additionally, make sure you take short breaks, stay hydrated, and move your body – follow a 10-minute stretching or yoga YouTube video.
Prioritising and looking after yourself before and while studying will only increase your energy levels, enhance your focus and attention span, and help you better absorb all the information.
#2: Lose the screens
Studies have indicated that it’s harder to remember what you’ve read when reading from a screen, rather than a book or piece of paper.
We know that times have changed and in many ways studying from devices can be more accessible, however, when possible, it could be best to avoid screens altogether.
Furthermore, studying on a laptop often invites other distractions, disrupting your academic focus and studying routine. Consider taking notes down or printing out online materials to give your eyes a break from screens.
If avoiding screens isn’t possible, then use web blockers to eliminate distractions completely and enable uninterrupted study sessions. With our web blocker, you can block, limit, or ration any websites and apps, or use our force mode to shut off the entire internet during your studying sessions.
#3: Talk out loud
By articulating information aloud, you engage better with your notes, and talking out loud enhances memory retention.
Some of us even do this without even thinking: how many times have you found yourself repeating out loud something that you’ve just read?
This is because we pay more attention to what we say, so next time you are studying, try writing your notes down and talking out loud.
#4: Say no to multitasking
Contrary to popular belief, if you want to study smarter and not longer, then you should banish multitasking from your routine.
When multitasking and juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, our brains switch rapidly between them, resulting in cognitive strain.
Avoid the temptation to multitask, especially when you are studying online. A quick search for content related to your studies can lead to aimless internet surfing and this takes its toll on your productivity and well-being.
#5: Embrace FocusMe
Encourage smarter studying habits with FocusMe, a tool designed to help students improve their productivity.
By offering a 30% educational discount, FocusMe offers students that first step to better time management and empowers them to create an environment free from digital distractions.
