There are several key aspects and steps that students of all levels should take into account before getting down to business. Efficient studying does not rely solely on the time and effort put in. In fact, spending a lot of time does not guarantee that once you are in the exam room, you will actually remember everything you learned and that you will be able to use the information accordingly. Moreover, efficient learning techniques imply that students will be able to finish the job a great deal faster, meaning that they will be able to allocate that extra amount of time for social activities or different study subjects. But while this is rather self explanatory, let us analyze some of the best methods for studying. The proper planning of the activity Efficient planning refers to correctly assessing all the courses and subjects that need to be revised and the deadline for each and every one of them. One of the main issues students are confronted with nowadays is procrastination and postponing every activity for the last moment. It is obvious that once you experience the pressure of the close deadline, your focus will be negatively impacted, thus you will no longer be able to attain excellent results. However, taking half an hour to organize your courses and estimate the amount of time you need to go through them can actually save a lot of time in the long run. Setting realistic goals for the study process Planning your work is a powerful ally, but in order to perform it correctly, students need to estimate their mental capacity accurately. Setting the bar too high, in terms of planning to finish studying too fast, will only put a lot of pressure on your shoulders. Moreover, you will be rushing to end the study session too soon and, consequentially, you will do an inadequate job. On the other hand, allocating too much time for a single subject because you do not have faith in your mental capacities may not allow you to revise all the courses. The key is, obviously, attaining a level of balance and working on increasing the study performance gradually. The Perfect Environment The place where you study has a great deal of influence on your mental performance. First of all, let us look at the desk and chair you should be using. It is worth noting, at this point, that studying should never ever be done lying in bed, as the focus and attention span are highly reduced. The desk should be well organized, thus before you start studying, take a few minutes to remove all the useless objects and place all the learning materials in reach. An organized desk is the equivalent of an organized mind. As far as the chair is concerned, it should be sturdy and provide enough support for your backside. However, too much comfort is to be avoided, due to the same reasons why studying in bed is advised against. Proper lighting is another aspect that falls under this category. At first sight, you may not think that there is any difference between natural and artificial light. However, the truth is that several studies and statistics have indicated that students who used natural light have attained significantly better results. Moreover, light should fall on your desk from the left side, rather than the right. The Perfect Time To Study Most researchers state that for studying, daytime is significantly more proficient than night time. On the other hand, other scientists argue that the cognitive functions are related to the biological clock of the person. However, the fact is that most of us reach the energy peak during daytime and modifying the schedule of your biological clock takes years to occur. Therefore, if you did not spend most of your life sleeping during the day and experiencing the nightlife, it is probably not wise to start with just a few weeks before your major exams. Often, But Short Breaks Whenever you feel that your study efficiency is dropping, taking a short break is imperative. It is not, as you may think, a waste of time, but rather a method of increasing your mental "stamina". Taking a short break every hour or at least every other hours translates into a significantly increased study time. To put it simple, you can either take a moment to relax and refresh yourself and study for 5 hours or you can work for three hours in a row and get too tired to continue. Avoid Distractions Losing your focus several times in a row due to external factors can jeopardize the whole study process. Therefore, distractions like people walking into the room all the time and talking to you or the temptation of checking your e-mail and social networks should be avoided of all costs. Ideally, you can print your courses and take old-fashioned pen and paper notes, rather than use the computer. Click here to learn How To Tie A Tie or find a how to guide on virtually anything!
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