Get your head in the game and eliminate stress. A noisy and fretting mind will not have any space for learning. Here are some remedies for that.
1. ScheduleΒ before anything else. Two simple things to keep in mind: Overestimate and be flexible. Put in extra hours for hard topics, and keep rescheduling throughout the day as much as needed.Β This is an instant band aid for anxiety.
Pro Tip: Using a digital planner allows quick and easy rescheduling.
2. Equip a Growth MindsetΒ Your intelligence, skills and βtalentsβ are not fixed attributes. All of those are malleable. If you want to get better at anything, train on it. Commit to progress and growth not perfectionism. There is no such thing as naturally smart, there are only people who put in the time and effort to learn and master things, and anyone can do that. If people get good grades, it does not mean that they are intellectually superior, it means that they put in the work for it.
Pro Tip: Pressuring yourself to study faster by putting in time limits for each page or material is counterproductive. Youβll end up super anxious and disappointed. Screw time pressure and learn at your own comfortable pace.
Real Talk: If you feel like the workΒ load is too hard, the anxiety is piling, everything feels impossible, and you just wanna sit there to cry and accept defeat- Grow up! Everyone is going through something hard. The difference between people who succeed and those who donβt is that those who succeed arenβt pussies. Stop crying, get up, take responsibility for your life and get to work! If you fail itβs not because of lack of time, or a mental illness, itβs because you didnβt work hard.
3. Have Good Study EthicsΒ Personal issues donβt mix with studies. Keep it professional and commit to focusing your thoughts on studying when itβs study time.Β
Have a winning attitude: Iβm not gonna stop until Iβm done!
4. Prep YourselfΒ
Start early. Get up between 5 AM - 9 AM. You only get this day and moment once. Make it count. If youβre exhausted, donβt beat yourself up. Rest completely, and start early tomorrow. Always study way ahead, and break the material in several chunks if possible.Β
Pro Tip:Β You donβt need more time, you need more effort. Get things done early, it reduces a lot of stress and gives you more free time for fun.
Gather all materials.Β Choose reference materials that you easily understand. Complicated text books are pointless if you canβt comprehend it. Keep your pens and markers in one container near you. Keep a dictionary and Google nearby.
Pick a good study spot. Pick a room with windows that you can fling open so fresh air and natural light can get in, also with lots of free open space so you can pace around.
Get your Dopamine up. Itβs a shame not to use the bodyβs natural motivator after all. Pump it up by dancing, singing, or eating some sweets before studying.Throw yourself into studying with high energy.
Pro Tip: Donβt start on the bed especially when youβre unmotivated and drowsy.Β
5. Shut up and StartΒ Start studying when you plan to start studying. No excuses.Β Youβre never going to feel ready and refreshed to study especially in the beginning. Feeling naturally and infinitely motivated to study is a myth. Studying is more of momentum that you build up gradually, until you just canβt stop.Β
It will always be rough when you begin.
Pro Tip: Count 1, 2, 3 then start
6.Β Use the Pomodoro Technique 25 minutes studying followed by a 5 minute break, 15-30 minute breaks every 4 Pomodoros.Β Obey the time rules. The break is there to help your mind retain more. Remember, the next Pomodoro will be better.
Pro Tip:Β Break time is for you to wind down. Close your eyes and rest, eat or meditate. Donβt use gadgets or make calls. Itβs called rest time, not stay-alert-for-useless-activities time.
7. No Bull Shit StudyingΒ
Start where itβs easy for you. You donβt have to start in the first page, nor do you have to study in a chronological order. Jump through topics.Β If youβre stuck move to another topic and work backwards.
Pro Tip:Β Sacrifice and prioritize. Donβt accept invitations to any leisure activity if you know itβs study time soon.
Be a creative problem solver. Find a better, easier way to learn the material. Experiment and research ways to better understand the topic. Watch videos, use memory aids, explain the lesson in your own words or in a different language. Make funny, and exaggerate mnemonics.
Just Study.Β Study hard or study gently, whichever you can. Focus on progress. Forget how much more you need to learn and focus on learning.Β
Pro Tip:Β Studying time is for studying ONLY. Not studying and chatting or watching TV or playing games. Focus.
Pep Talk: Donβt give up. Keep going. If you give up, then youβve sealed your failure. Passing or failing is a 50/50 chance, but if you keep studying, you increase your odds of passing.
Rewiring Failure:Β Failure is simply an opportunity to start over, more intelligently this time. True failure is sitting there, feeling bad about yourself, and not trying again at all.
Triage ruthlessly. Study whatβs necessary and skip unnecessary information. Donβt memorize everything. Study hard and smart.
Repeat Repeat Repeat. If you forget something, donβt punish yourself. Be kind to yourself and REINFORCE. Relearn it. Not being able to recall something is only a cue for you to put in more time.Β Repeat it until you get it. Go slow; Donβt rush. Keep at it until you get it. Go as slow as you need.
Review everything again once you cover the entire topic. Focus on Waterloos.Youβre done when you can explain everything in your own words, and you can jump through any topic without getting a mental block. Β Β
Pro Tip: Sleepy? Get up and move around while you study or read it out loud. Youβre only sleepy in the beginning. It gets betterΒ
8. Push Yourself Studying is mostly grit beyond this point.Β Studying is 99% effort and hard work; 1% technique. In the end, itβs the persistent student that will learn the material most.
Relax. Donβt Panic. Donβt rush learning, go at a comfortable pace, and take as long as you need with each material. Be patient with yourself, and it will reward you with quick recall ability.
Pep Talk:Β You dictate your limitations, your body doesnβt. If the mind doesnβt want to give up, the body has no choice but to obey.
9. Create Relevant Study Guides
FlashcardsΒ are extremely useful for formulas, normal values, and terms that require rote memorization.
Summaries are generally useful for textbooks, and detailed information or notes. Use as few words as possible.
Practice ExamsΒ are extremely useful to assess mastery of the information.
10. Get Support Have someone who encourages you to keep going, gives you hope, and occasionally gives you shit if youβre screwing around. Some times all it takes is the right person to tell us to stop fucking around, or to tell us that they believe in us to keep us going.
Pro Tip: Donβt sit around yapping about your worries forever.Β No one is going to fix your life for you. Get your shit together.Β Whether we succeed or not is completely our responsibility.
11. Pull an All Nighter However, this is only a last resort.
Think about this: A well rested mind with nothing to recall is far worse than a drowsy mind that is full of information just waiting to be recalled.
Pro Tip:Β You are not gonna die from an all nighter. Just remember to nap every once in a while, and catch up on sleep ASAP.
βYou can never defeat a person that doesnβt know how to give up.β
Studying-Queen
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