Studying

Studying is simply something none of us will enjoy, making it incredibly easy and quick for us to get bored or distracted by other tabs or the buzzing of our phone as notifications roll in (which, conveniently, only happens when we decide to study). It takes up so much of our brain and we can't help but feel drowsy 5 minutes into opening our text books. There is also situations where we rack our brains, trying to ingest everything, and end up failing anyway. Studies can get so stressful, it greatly impacts our own well-being.

There are, however, ways in which we can improve the way we handle things, which can also result in the improvement of our grades and well-beings in the process. These are some of the tips I use personally which really helped my academics (if any of you would like to add up, don't hesitate to leave a comment below!):

• Note-taking.

Note-taking allows you to have easy access to the important points of the subject, which is extremely convenient, especially when you find yourself forgetting a particular piece of information that is buried into the depths of a textbook 500 pages long. Notes are usually made 'short and sweet', but it is okay to add a description that could help you understand it better. This works especially well with formulas, making it easy reference for when we are practicing how to do certain problems or equations, as well as jargon (technical vocabulary) since it is usually more beneficial to use instead of our own words and descriptions.

• Taking information from books or online.

Information is not limited to the pages of your school reference books. It is advisable to search up additional pointers to enhance the quality and quantity of your answers, earning you more marks than you would have had you only stuck to what was given to you. Researching on the topic may also grant you better understanding of it, allowing you to structure your answers in a more detailed and informative manner.

• Highlight the key points before writing notes.

Key points are not easily found by looking at the textbook as it is often hidden in large paragraphs and can be easy to miss. By going through reference materials beforehand, you will be able to pick out essential pieces of information as well as their explanations without too much issues and can also act as a revision pre-notes, allowing it to enter your brain in a less stressful manner. Moreover, doing this can create motivation for you as they are reading and focusing for the purpose of producing notes.

• Segregating chapters into different days.

Cramming on an entire subject the night before the exam can often lead to forgetting what you learned or breakdowns that occur the same night, or even during the exam. The reason behind this is because you are forcing heaps of information into your brain, past your own limit. This can be avoided by dividing the amount of chapters into certain amount of days, relieving you of the burden of stress and at the same time, reducing the amount of time you study. This, I found, actually helps you remember more of what you went through, as your brain is allowed a certain time to process it.

• Practice.

Practice is inescapable for subjects such as Maths or Accounting. In this case, we learn more by making errors, and correcting them. We unconsciously take a mental note of where and how we went wrong, preventing us from making the same mistake in our exams. However, it's important to keep in mind that you should not practice over your own limit. This discourages you, and in result make you practice less or not at all.

• Maintaining your overall health.

Your health is a major factor in studying, although a lot of students will argue that school is not allowing them to make them for their own needs and wants, it is crucial that you make time for it. 

Having a decent sleeping schedule allows your brain to process information better, therefore also enhancing your memory. You will think to yourself that it's impossible for you to sleep early and from my own experience, I know that it is. The thing is, the only thing keeping you awake is yourself. Put your phone down, your friends are still there tomorrow. Troublesome thoughts? Play some relaxing music. You are the only person stopping yourself from doing so.

Skipping meals is an absolute no-no. You are not wasting time by pausing to eat. You need the energy to be able to stay attentive and for your body and brain to keep functioning. School will only last for a few years. Your own body is with you your whole life. Don't neglect it.

• Schedule your studying time and your personal time.

Another huge issue without studying is that it can take up a lot of your personal time, preventing you from doing whatever it is you love doing or perhaps from making plans. The easiest way to solve this is to plan what time you are going to study. This solely depends on what you're comfortable with, or how much you have to cover. You could allow yourself to stop studying at, perhaps, 7:30 pm or 8:30 pm, according to what you feel you can handle before starting to feel a bit tired. You can also set specific time stamps, such as from 2pm to 7pm, but this can be stressful as you will be pushing yourself to start studying at a certain time, despite the incapability to do so due to illness or an outing. Once again, it depends only on your own preference and is recommended as it reduces the burden of stress that could pile up during this period of time. 

You might be thinking 'Hey! This takes much more work than just reading our textbooks! What's the deal?' and well.. there really isn't an easy out of grades higher than average. Effort is what gets you places, whether we are talking about personal, career or academic growth. Effort is not what you put in the last second, it's built overtime with quality and not just quantity. A diploma isn't going to just be handed to you by simply being present at the graduation. You need to work for your own achievements, and by doing so, you will get farther than those who consciously make the decision to avoid work.