Study Habits

Organization and time management are two of the most critical components to developing good study habits.

If I begin my day unorganized I feel as if my whole day is ruined.

I have found that I study best in the mornings and throughout the afternoon. I have more motivation in the mornings and seem to accomplish the most at this time.

I like to complete my work or studying as early as possible, allotting time for any questions or concerns I may have prior to testing or submitting assignments.

A quiet and isolated environment is usually best for me when studying so I can truly focus on the curriculum. Normally, I prefer to do the most challenging assignments first.

Procrastination seems to sneak up on me at times. For example, I will find myself facebooking instead of studying as I had planned.

Sometimes I find it difficult to return to studying if I take breaks. Therefore, I try to limit breaks as much as possible and stay on top of time management.

* * *
Your last point is particularly interesting.

Taking breaks is obviously important. The hard part is starting again!

I guess your strategy is a question of trial and error. For how long can you study effectively before needing a break? How long does the break need to be?

It can really help to define the length of the break as well as the study time.

So, for example, you might decide to work for 45 minutes and then take a break for 15.

One interesting strategy for getting back to work is to break your break up into two stages - in the example above you would permit yourself 10 minutes off, and use the last five to ‘warm the engine’ and mentally prepare for studying again. It is when you start thinking about what you were doing, reading your notes and so on, without actually ‘studying’.

One of the most effective time management tools for studying is a timer. I use online-stopwatch, but there are plenty available, both online and off.

Setting a countdown timer, both for study and breaks, helps to focus the mind on the task in hand.

-Tim