Power Studying
Let's face it, no-one really loves studying (unless you enjoy school and good on you if you do!) We just want to get the work done pronto right? That's where this article can help you. Studying + Power = Power Studying = Less time studying = Good times for all.
We want you to maximize every minute spent studying and as a result maximize every minute you don't have to study! That's right; we want you to study less. Every day. We want you to study less by learning how to power study - to study with super powerful efficiency and effectiveness which will cut the amount of time spent studying down to nothing! OK, that's a lie - but you get the drift. You have to study anyway, so why not learn how to learn more in less time?
So what are we waiting for? Let's get cracking on the new habits you are going to introduce and start putting into practise from today. Here they come - are you ready for them?
Successful students:
Never Over-Study
As soon as you spend too much time studying you will quickly lose focus and the time spent studying will become 'junk time'. Junk time is when you think you're studying but you're just sitting there re-reading the same sentence about 100 times. You're studying, but you're not getting anywhere. You're the mouse on the wheel. Round and round you go. Instead, take regular breaks. We'd recommend a 15 minute break for every 30 minutes of work completed. So it's a 2 to 1 ratio. For every 2 hours you spend studying over a 3 hour period, at least 1 hour of that should be break time. Taking breaks will restore your energy and refresh your mind - plus it will give your mind some time to take in what you have been doing (this is very useful when you are doing memory activities). That doesn't mean you should spend the break thinking about what you've been doing. To the contrary, allow your mind to rest by doing something completely different. Finally, don't study for more than 45 minutes in any one sitting if you can avoid it. The brain tends to switch off at the 45 minute mark. Huh? Switch off? I was wondering if mine would ever switch on!
Plan Their Study
Top students don't just randomly sit down and complete work. They actually plan what they are going to do. They literally plan the time they will study and they set goals for what will be achieved. For example, your new habit could be saying 'I will study from 6 pm to 7.15 pm with a 15 minute break at 6.30 pm. At the completion of this time I will have done all my fractions worksheets and my sociology homework. I will then go online and throw sheep at people'. Think we're kidding? We're not. If you want to be successful, do as successful people do. Set a plan and set a goal and stick to it. If you don't achieve the goal, set a new one. By having set times for doing work each day it will create a routine and a routine is the first step towards developing a habit. We love affirmative habits, affirmative habits are good. When you know that you have committed to work at a specific time each day you will be mentally prepared for it. You will know 6 pm is 'go time on study'. You will know it's coming and be ready for it. Just like you know 7 pm is dinner time. What's for dinner mother dearest? The goal setting part of planning is also very important. If you sit down with little idea about what you're trying to complete you will just aimlessly go along not knowing if you've 'done enough work or not'. Set a target and direct your energy towards it. Accomplish what you set out to accomplish. Build the confidence. Don't just let the carrot dangle in front of you, bite the freaking thing (a carrot represents your ambitions and dreams in case you weren't aware and thought we actually wanted you to eat a carrot. You didn't think that did you?)
Front Up To The Toughest Work First
Let's face it, when completing tasks we all love to do the easy things first. Why? Because it build our confidence. We get excited when we're ticking items off our to-do list. BANG! 1st item ticked off. BANG! Double tick that item now I'm rolling. The only problem with the tick-off easy items first approach is that you use up your best energy at the start of any study session and so if you are tackling the easy parts with your best energy your energy reserves will be low when it comes time to tackle the hard part of what you need to get done. So what happens then? Bet you can't guess! You can guess? That's right - you get tired, you get grumpy, you get frustrated and then just give up and go play Xbox. We all do it. We really shouldn't though. So get in the habit of dedicating your best energy to the difficult tasks first and completing the easy 'I can do it with my eyes closed' stuff last.
Get Off Social Networking Sites, Your Phone, The Latest Game You Like and Turn Off TV (Music Might Be OK)
Do we really have to explain this one? Seriously dudes, just turn them off for an hour, we promise the world will still be there when you log back in! Don't text your buddies, don't Instant Message whilst doing memory activities, don't make phone calls, just focus on what you're doing. Even if you focus on work for 15 minutes followed by 5 mins of Instant Messaging, it's better than 30 minutes of work whilst also Instant Messaging! We think it's a good idea to reward yourself for study completed, but you actually need to do some work to earn a reward. You get that right?
P.S. Music can be great as a nice soothing background noise when studying - ah so relaxing - and even helpful for study in some instances, but Death Metal cranking so loud your house explodes isn't the best option. There is simply no way you can focus when you do that.
Actually Ask For Help
Um - what the heck is the teacher talking about? Ever say that to yourself in class? If you don't understand the topic you're doing just ask someone - a teacher, parent, friend, sibling, the bus driver. Seriously, asking anyone is better than asking no-one. Don't feel embarrassed or stupid - the most important thing is getting the task completed isn't it? What difference does it make if you have to ask for help? Wouldn't you rather do a good job? If you don't ask, you won't know. Frustration can be easily avoided, but sometimes we have to suck up the ego and ask for help.
Clean Up Their Act
Seriously - do your work in a neat and tidy place. Don't study in a cesspool of your own muck. Work on a table or a desk. Have a place for all of your books and materials. Have a system of filing and order that you actually understand! You should always know where everything you need is and you should not have to wade through dirty underwear or 1991 Michael Jordan rookie cards to find it. I know, crazy concept huh? It's not cool to not be able to see your bed because there are mountains of junk all over your room (although if you live in that situation we know you think it's cool). A clean environment makes a happy human. You want to be a happy human don't you?
Let's face it, no-one really loves studying (unless you enjoy school and good on you if you do!) We just want to get the work done pronto right? That's where this article can help you. Studying + Power = Power Studying = Less time studying = Good times for all.
We want you to maximize every minute spent studying and as a result maximize every minute you don't have to study! That's right; we want you to study less. Every day. We want you to study less by learning how to power study - to study with super powerful efficiency and effectiveness which will cut the amount of time spent studying down to nothing! OK, that's a lie - but you get the drift. You have to study anyway, so why not learn how to learn more in less time?
So what are we waiting for? Let's get cracking on the new habits you are going to introduce and start putting into practise from today. Here they come - are you ready for them?
Successful students:
Never Over-Study
As soon as you spend too much time studying you will quickly lose focus and the time spent studying will become 'junk time'. Junk time is when you think you're studying but you're just sitting there re-reading the same sentence about 100 times. You're studying, but you're not getting anywhere. You're the mouse on the wheel. Round and round you go. Instead, take regular breaks. We'd recommend a 15 minute break for every 30 minutes of work completed. So it's a 2 to 1 ratio. For every 2 hours you spend studying over a 3 hour period, at least 1 hour of that should be break time. Taking breaks will restore your energy and refresh your mind - plus it will give your mind some time to take in what you have been doing (this is very useful when you are doing memory activities). That doesn't mean you should spend the break thinking about what you've been doing. To the contrary, allow your mind to rest by doing something completely different. Finally, don't study for more than 45 minutes in any one sitting if you can avoid it. The brain tends to switch off at the 45 minute mark. Huh? Switch off? I was wondering if mine would ever switch on!
Plan Their Study
Top students don't just randomly sit down and complete work. They actually plan what they are going to do. They literally plan the time they will study and they set goals for what will be achieved. For example, your new habit could be saying 'I will study from 6 pm to 7.15 pm with a 15 minute break at 6.30 pm. At the completion of this time I will have done all my fractions worksheets and my sociology homework. I will then go online and throw sheep at people'. Think we're kidding? We're not. If you want to be successful, do as successful people do. Set a plan and set a goal and stick to it. If you don't achieve the goal, set a new one. By having set times for doing work each day it will create a routine and a routine is the first step towards developing a habit. We love affirmative habits, affirmative habits are good. When you know that you have committed to work at a specific time each day you will be mentally prepared for it. You will know 6 pm is 'go time on study'. You will know it's coming and be ready for it. Just like you know 7 pm is dinner time. What's for dinner mother dearest? The goal setting part of planning is also very important. If you sit down with little idea about what you're trying to complete you will just aimlessly go along not knowing if you've 'done enough work or not'. Set a target and direct your energy towards it. Accomplish what you set out to accomplish. Build the confidence. Don't just let the carrot dangle in front of you, bite the freaking thing (a carrot represents your ambitions and dreams in case you weren't aware and thought we actually wanted you to eat a carrot. You didn't think that did you?)
Front Up To The Toughest Work First
Let's face it, when completing tasks we all love to do the easy things first. Why? Because it build our confidence. We get excited when we're ticking items off our to-do list. BANG! 1st item ticked off. BANG! Double tick that item now I'm rolling. The only problem with the tick-off easy items first approach is that you use up your best energy at the start of any study session and so if you are tackling the easy parts with your best energy your energy reserves will be low when it comes time to tackle the hard part of what you need to get done. So what happens then? Bet you can't guess! You can guess? That's right - you get tired, you get grumpy, you get frustrated and then just give up and go play Xbox. We all do it. We really shouldn't though. So get in the habit of dedicating your best energy to the difficult tasks first and completing the easy 'I can do it with my eyes closed' stuff last.
Get Off Social Networking Sites, Your Phone, The Latest Game You Like and Turn Off TV (Music Might Be OK)
Do we really have to explain this one? Seriously dudes, just turn them off for an hour, we promise the world will still be there when you log back in! Don't text your buddies, don't Instant Message whilst doing memory activities, don't make phone calls, just focus on what you're doing. Even if you focus on work for 15 minutes followed by 5 mins of Instant Messaging, it's better than 30 minutes of work whilst also Instant Messaging! We think it's a good idea to reward yourself for study completed, but you actually need to do some work to earn a reward. You get that right?
P.S. Music can be great as a nice soothing background noise when studying - ah so relaxing - and even helpful for study in some instances, but Death Metal cranking so loud your house explodes isn't the best option. There is simply no way you can focus when you do that.
Actually Ask For Help
Um - what the heck is the teacher talking about? Ever say that to yourself in class? If you don't understand the topic you're doing just ask someone - a teacher, parent, friend, sibling, the bus driver. Seriously, asking anyone is better than asking no-one. Don't feel embarrassed or stupid - the most important thing is getting the task completed isn't it? What difference does it make if you have to ask for help? Wouldn't you rather do a good job? If you don't ask, you won't know. Frustration can be easily avoided, but sometimes we have to suck up the ego and ask for help.
Clean Up Their Act
Seriously - do your work in a neat and tidy place. Don't study in a cesspool of your own muck. Work on a table or a desk. Have a place for all of your books and materials. Have a system of filing and order that you actually understand! You should always know where everything you need is and you should not have to wade through dirty underwear or 1991 Michael Jordan rookie cards to find it. I know, crazy concept huh? It's not cool to not be able to see your bed because there are mountains of junk all over your room (although if you live in that situation we know you think it's cool). A clean environment makes a happy human. You want to be a happy human don't you?
About the Author:
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