Do you know you can learn some good study habits if you desire to improve your learning and retentive capacity? These study habits incorporate approaching study with a positive mindset, selecting an appropriate learning environment, avoiding or reducing distractions, establishing a realistic study schedule, and leveraging learning techniques and memory games. It is no doubt you face a lot of issues in your daily lives, and these things compete for your attention. This makes it difficult for you to focus during your learning or study sessions. These issues will never go away at any point in time, but you will need to be proactive in improving study habits that can help you hack your learning. Find out why study habits are important and the habits you need to cultivate to enhance your knowledge.
Why Are Study Habits Important?
Good Study Habits Impact Your Motivation Level
Study smarter says the adage, not harder. By building good and simple study habits, as well as learning techniques, you will keep yourself supercharged. This will assist you in attaining your goals efficiently and quickly.
Improving Study Habits Positions You For Success
Cultivating simple study skills is not only relevant to the university; these skills will position you for success in life. Every leader out there from Bill Gates to Elon Musk is a die-hard reader and learner. If you desire success in life, be studious.
Effective Study Habits Increase Your Self-Esteem
Good study habits impact your competence, confidence, and
self-esteem. When you lose your self-esteem, you can lose the motivation required to learn. Study habits help in safeguarding the most crucial ingredient to your success. It can also reduce the anxiety you usually have about deadlines.
Developing Good Study Habits Saves You Time
As soon as you become proficient in your studying skills, you will cut down on the hours you spend on studying. This will save you more time to focus on other things that are crucial in your life.
Good Study Habits Enhance Your Learning
Cultivating practical study skills will improve your retentive capacity and your ability to learn. It will also make learning to be more exciting and rewarding. With these benefits, you may then ask, 'what are the essential study habits?' Read on.
9 Study Habits to Hack Your Learning
1. Review Often
Design a study plan to review your study notes. This will help you to maximize every study session. It will also reduce the pressure of cramming before any significant examination or job interview. Reviewing is also a means of enabling your brain to store facts and new information in your long-term memory. If you cram often, you tend to forget what you have learned as the information will be stored in the short-term memory.
2. Comprehend
Some learners try to memorize all the information while studying without trying to comprehend it. They will find it difficult to cope when they are faced with structured questions during examinations or interviews where the application of knowledge is needed. Some even claimed they failed a test they prepared hard for without knowing they did not understand what they studied. If you study to comprehend, you will be in a better position to attempt any question on various topics presented to you. It becomes easier to explain a hard concept when you study to understand the concept.
3. Employ Different Study Materials
Do not depend on your book or lecture notes. Make use of different materials to aid your learning. This study habit enables you to understand the topic you are studying thoroughly. It also helps you to prepare for any major test or examination. You can access
Lynda Library or other online and local libraries to source for materials relating to the topic you are studying.
4. Utilize Flash Cards
Employing flashcards can enhance memorization. It will assist you in recalling vital concepts and key terminologies. Flashcards will help you condense the voluminous amount of notes. You can also form the study habit of drawing diagrams to recall important information and details about the topics. This technique will help you revise before a major examination, test, or interview quickly. Using flashcards can be very helpful as you can carry them around everywhere you go.
5. Take Breaks
Breaks are very crucial in between study sessions. It helps you to store and retain information in your
long term memory. Prolonged studying can make you feel tired and put pressure on you. You cannot learn effectively when you are under pressure. Overloading your brain can cause congestion. Taking breaks will provide your brain the required time needed to refresh before absorbing new information. You can take a break of 10 minutes, having studied for thirty minutes to one hour. You can watch an exciting video clip during this break or take a walk in the garden to relax your nerves.
6. Teach Others
Several studies have found out that you learn better when you teach others a concept you have studied.((Research Digest:
Learning by teaching others is extremely effective – a new study tested a key reason why )) You cannot teach what you don't know. Teaching other people positions you to learn as you have no option but to express the information in your words. This is because you reinforce the information as you repeat while teaching others. At some points, your students will ask questions which you will need to analyze before providing answers. Teaching enables you to gain a better understanding of the topic.
7. Evaluate Yourself
Evaluation is essential to determine if you understand what you are studying. It will enable you to gauge which aspect you need to dwell on. Most times, you think you know a topic, but when you evaluate yourself using the test, you will find the topic or concept challenging. Evaluating yourself enables you to gain an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. You can leverage online tests or quiz. Most books have evaluation sections or questions to answer. These are designed to test your knowledge. The evaluation also helps you in managing your time during the study.
8. Link Your Previous Knowledge to What You Are Learning
You can link your study notes to concepts you have learned previously. This helps you to recall things accurately. Utilizing analogy can enable you to learn the content faster. You can also make use of acronyms to recall concepts. This method is also known as MNEMONIC.((Wikipedia:
MNEMONIC)) For instance, the BODMAS acronym is utilized to solve difficult mathematical problems. Any mathematics student understands that subtraction comes last while solving a mathematical problem, thanks to the BODMAS acronym. This can also be applied while learning.
9. Take Good Care of Yourself
This is an aspect that most learners don't manage properly. Quality sleep and healthy eating habits affect your assimilation. Learners who neglect proper diet and quality sleep will find it hard to retain information fast. You should drink at least eight glasses of water, have eight hours of sleep, and a take balanced diet daily. Food such as berries, fish, groundnut, egg, and broccoli have been found out to boost brainpower:
12 Best Foods That Improve Memory and Brain Health
How to Learn Study Habits
So, how to learn these study habits in order to learn more effectively? Do the following before you study:
Focus on the Big Picture
How many topics do you want to cover? What amount of time do you have to cover them? What's the purpose, target, or objective of studying the topics? How will the exercise impact your career and personal development?
Set Priorities
Several topics would clamor for your attention. It is important to prioritize them in order of importance. I recommend starting with the simplest to the most complex topics.
Plan
Design a schedule of what you want to study and when. A learning or study calendar is one of the essential tools to organize your learning activities.
Allocate a Considerable Amount of Time
It does not matter what purpose you have for studying; cramming is the least effective means of retaining information in your long term memory. You need considerable time to study in advance to achieve your learning objectives.
Establish a Suitable Study Area
Discover a spot where you can quickly spread out your materials, notepad, books, and your computer. The place should be well-lit, cozy, and devoid of distraction. It could be inside a public library or a private study area in your house.
The Bottom Line
The study habits mentioned in this article will help you to become more productive while studying and learning. Utilize different materials and resources for adequate comprehension. Introduce breaks into your study sessions so you can recharge from pressure. If you imbibe these study habits, you will find it easier to hack your learning.
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