In order to study effectively, it is important to build some particular studying habits. After analyzing the studying habits of my friend, I could see that he does not have an effective plan for himself. In order for the friend to achieve better performance, a more effective study plan is needed. Essential approaches will be demonstrated and discussed in this presentation; they are: training memory, repeating the material, following the schedule, keeping a balance between work and life, encouraging yourself for accomplishments, making notes, and having a positive mindset.
Train your memory
A friend of mine said that he usually studies by re-reading the chapter. However, this method might be time-consuming and non-effective because it is difficult for the human brain to memorize everything written in the paragraph. Instead, it will be more efficient to highlight the most important information from each paragraph and memories it. For instance, a popular technique is a mnemonic room or the Cicero method. According to legend, the philosopher never used cheat sheets in his speeches. He reproduced many facts, quotations, historical dates, and names from memory. In preparation for exams or classes, one can also try to “attach” objects to familiar points that they need to remember. It may be chemical formulas, names of the components, geographical locations, names of scientists and etc.
Repeating the material
- Do not pull all-nighters before exams.
- Repeat information every day.
The friend noted that he pulls all-nighters before exams; however, it is not a very effective way to revise or remember big pieces of information. Instead of this, the student should try to repeat the material in a more consistent and systematic way. For example, he can repeat some information every day for 20-30 minutes, and in that way, the information will go to the long-term memory instead of the short-term memory (Verschooren et al., 2021).
Follow the schedule
- Make a certain schedule.
- Choose daytime to study.
- Increase the number of workdays.
The friends have noted that he works on chemistry homework every Tuesday and Thursday night but not on other days. One recommendation for a better study plan is to follow a certain schedule. It is possible to work more, for example, 4-5 times a week.
Keep work and life balance
It is essential to:
- Try to get up and go to bed at the same time; sleep 7-8 hours a day.
- Take five-minute breaks every 25-30 minutes of intense mental activity.
Another bad habit of my friend is that he sleeps less than 5 hours. This will negatively influence his health and motivation for studying because of a lack of energy.
Encourage yourself to accomplishments
- It is helpful to reward yourself for even little accomplishments made.
- Do not transfer previous negative experiences.
From the analysis of my friend’s studying habits, it was noted that he gets easily frustrated while working on chemistry problems after approaching them the way he has always approached problems in his other classes. However, one should not apply the same approach when studying because it may break their motivation. Instead, it is useful to encourage yourself for every accomplishment, thus, using positive reinforcement.
Stay focused
- Do not get easily destructed.
- Focus on your goals.
The friend always keeps his phone on vibrate to check if he gets messages while he studies, which is damaging to his attention. When studying, it is vital to stay focused and not get destructed by small things, especially such time-consuming things as social networks and messengers. For building more effective studying habits, it is recommended to train your focus and develop attention spans.
Reference
Verschooren, S., Kessler, Y., & Egner, T. (2021). Evidence for a single mechanism gating perceptual and long-term memory information into working memory. Cognition, 212, 104668.