Make A Study Plan
Before everything else, look for why you want to do this, why you want this plan, why you want to study this subject, why you want to crack this exam. Keep it only to yourself if that's how you like it. Your reasons are your motivation because, motivation is intrinsic. Now, getting to the main agenda, Study Plan.
Firstly, write down your subjects and collect everything you need to practice/learn/refer i.e. your books/notes that you have to study from, along with an overview of your syllabus. Now you know what you have to do, get to how to do it. It might sound really easy; it might as well be for many people.
All you have to do is:
Make a detailed to-do list. Mention what has to be studied: topics, lessons, questions or any other thing.
Time your tasks. Mention the duration you have to devote to each task.
Put these timed tasks on a calendar. Now, this is what makes all the difference. Allocate days and time to the timed tasks. Have a proper sequence in which the topics have to be studied; it could an analogical order like an ABC Analysis of the syllabus (most important topics first) or it could just be in chronological order (first lessons first.)
In other words, first think broadly, set quarterly and monthly targets, then distribute your tasks to different weeks and when you’re writing tasks for a particular day, write them comprehensively. Then calendar those tasks i.e., give them a date, time and duration. Leave least room for procrastination. Prioritize tasks and set targets accordingly; do most important and urgent things first.
Things to keep in mind while making planner:
Set realistic targets because when you achieve a target, you are motivated to chase the next one. If you don’t achieve it, then it goes to pending and the backlog gets accumulated for days then weeks, which will hamper the entire plan and might as well make you anxious which might lead you to give up.
Have buffer days and grey areas. Give yourself space to breathe and procrastinate and think. Don’t plan for all the 24 hours and all the 7 days. This will help you have room for spontaneous.
Use the same calendar every time. Mark your calendars with events and things that you schedule. Include small things like meeting a friend too. If you write things at different places (some on your phone, some in your diary, some in any other app), you will tend to overlap tasks. Make sure you use only one thing. You can make a new outlook account just to use its calendar. There are several other ways you can have a consolidated calendar; you can find what suits you best. (I prefer to use a diary and I keep it handy; I feel more committed to doing something after I’ve written it )
Keep you planner flexible. There will be changes, so have room to reschedule things. Reschedule your buffer days and grey areas when you need them. If you've missed a target in the middle of the week, see if you can reschedule it without touching other already planned tasks, like you can keep it for the weekend. But don’t go too easy on yourself that you miss your weekly and/or monthly targets.
Your routine has to be your own. It has to be personalized; you cannot use somebody else’s routine and study plan. You can sure learn from other and be inspired by them, but don’t imitate them. Accept that you do what’s best for you.
Your strategy should be appropriate for your subject. Keep in mind that you have to spend more time in practicing things that are more important from examination perspective. I believe that only hard work with no strategy is less effective. So, work hard smartly.
Study tips common for all subjects:
Make short notes while studying lessons. Keep them really short, no sentences, only keywords which can be reviewed right before exam.
Make a list of important questions, categorize them on the level of difficulty. This is helpful especially for practical and calculative subjects. Categorize them by the number of times you have to practice and revise them. Make a “Revision before Examination” category especially for most tricky and important questions.
Write down key-points from questions. Along with the questions you’re practicing, write down the things to remember from the question, or the new thing that you learnt in that question. Either use a sticky note then and there in the book, or make a separate notebook and use it exclusively for writing Points to Remember (PTR).
Cover topics for once and for all. Don’t leave small things to be done at some other time. If there is a particular lesson that needs practice, have slots to practice it right after you’ve studied.
Things to do to stay focused while studying:
Prepare your books before you start studying: Don’t go looking for books and notes after you’ve started a study session. Keep everything ready and handy so that you don’t distract yourself later.
Turn-off notifications. We check our phones and we tend to be carried away. Be carried away when it’s the right time to, not while you want to be focused. You know how you can do that. By keeping your phone in silent mode or flight mode or using apps that help you stay focused. One crazy hack that I read recently, I don’t remember where, was you can make a time lapse of yourself studying, and use your phone for it. See? This is ‘modern solution to a modern problem.’ xD
Distraction Sheet. Make a distraction sheet (you can use your diary itself) to write down other things that come to your mind. For instance, you might recall you had to order a new pair of shoes or buy a gift for a friend’s birthday or any other big small thing, write it down there so that when you are free, you can take those tasks up. You won’t get distracted in the middle of a session and not even worry to forget them.
Even if you hit 75% of what you planned, you’re doing great! Reward yourself. After having a really good day, treat yourself with good music, make that much awaited call, eat something you like, take a nap if you’re somebody who likes to sleep, go for that movie, take that break, don’t stress yourself. Accept, adopt, adapt and keep going.
Cheers guys! Happy learning 💙
( I will keep updating and modifying these lists, so you might want to save this post.)
