15 Studying Tips (mainly for HS):
1. Work in sections each day- don’t try and get everything done in one go.
2. Try a timed break method to let yourself rest when you have a lot of work to do. I personally do a 30 minute studying session and 20 minute break in between.
3. A finals studying method: If you have a class like history and need to remember a lot of events and concepts, gather all your old papers and write down the main topic of each. Once you have all the topics, write everything you know about them in bullet points. If you can’t think of anything, reread/scan over the paper. Repeat until you get the main idea of all the topics. Bonus: rewrite all the information into a compacted study guide for later studying.
4. If you like to highlight- only use about 2-3 colors if it's only a worksheet. More than three colors works better with longer text and books. I’d also recommend using pastel or light highlighters because it's much easier to read the words plus it won’t bleed through as much.
5. Try listening to music when studying. You never know if you work better with some background noise. I personally use video game/anime/movie background instrumentals.
6. Another tip about listening to music- try using music you’ve listened to over and over. If you use a song you’ve never heard before, you’ll be tempted to get distracted and listen to the song instead of focusing.
7. Have a finger snack nearby like pretzels, crackers, fruit etc. Having a meal while studying can be distracting because you’ll want to eat instead of study. Plus, it’ll make studying a lot slower and more tedious.
8. Plan, plan, plan! Having multiple projects and tests coming up can really stress you the hell out if you only have one night to do it all. Plan ahead of time and schedule a few days to study before the test.
9. Over the weekend or when you don’t have anything to study for, tidy your desk. Get rid of any old paper you know you won’t need and throw away trash. If you have the extra time, clean your whole room.
10. Try and get inspired with studyinspo. Or maybe you like motivational quotes or ‘tough love’ type of motivation; anything that can get you feeling artsy and determined is good in my book. Spend a couple minutes or even twenty minutes to try and get inspired.
11. If it’s been over twenty minutes and you still aren’t feeling it, you may have to force it. Sit down in your chair and work for five minutes. Feeling up to it now? No? Keep going for another five minutes. If by now you still aren’t motivated you may have to wait until tomorrow to study or continue to force it.
12. Try not to be absent if a big test is coming up. The extra day of being in class will be so helpful compared to skipping a day. But mental health days are important too.
13. Talk to your teacher. Ask them questions during and after class to show that you care. Even ask some casual questions about their day. There’s many benefits if you become friends with the teacher. Who knows, they may let you get an extra point on a test even if you don’t exactly deserve it.
14. Make your own study guide if the teacher doesn’t supply you one. Ask what’s going to be on the test and jot down them down to review later. Staying after can benefit too if the teacher is vague on the test content.
15. After the test/project is over, treat yourself. Even if it’s an extra long, hot shower or binging on a tv show, give yourself some type of reward. You can also plan a reward before a test so afterwards, you have something to look forward to.