Have you ever spent more than 3 hours trying to study and only achieved half of your goals? That’s because your mind is distracted and you haven’t been able to concentrate as you should. The biggest obstacles to losing attention are tiredness, lack of motivation, not knowing how to organize yourself, wanting to do everything at once, or spending more time on social media than you should.
We provide solutions to improve study sessions. By implementing a series of study hacks or tips the study process can be much more effective. Let’s reveal the secrets to effective study.
Importance of Study Hacks
Academic success is very important. We are very aware of the time our students spend preparing for their exams. First of all, we must be clear that success in studying does not depend only on the hours we dedicate, that is, not everything is based on wearing out our elbows. Factors such as motivation, the ability to concentrate, and the creation of good habits are also critical. It is not about studying more, but about studying better. And in this sense, studying smarter, not harder, is the key to mastering any subject. Here are three major advantages of study hacks:
Time Efficiency: Instead of wasting hours on a single topic strategic study helps you in studying efficiently.
Better Memory: Study hacks help you memorize new things and understand them.
Reduced Stress: Implementing study hacks reduces stress during exams and last-minute cramming.
Top 10 Beneficial Study Hacks
Almost all of us know that feeling: the exam is fast approaching and you feel like you haven’t even started studying the first topic of the course. We automatically think that the only solution is to study quickly, of course. However, to do so, you need to have a strategy and appropriate study hacks. Below we will show you 10 hacks to study faster and successfully pass your exams.
1. Daily Planning
Planning and structure are essential tricks for studying faster. First, divide the topics into sections and organize the content into study sessions, which will shorten your study time. Long study sessions will only exhaust you and therefore will not be effective. Therefore, you should take small breaks to do things that clear your mind, as this will not only be rewarding but will also help you to be more productive.
➜Study tip: To properly plan and manage your time, you can make simple to-do lists.
➜ Method to study faster: a suitable method to better structure each study day is, for example, the Pomodoro technique. In this technique, you study for 25 minutes straight and then take five minutes to relax. After four Pomodoro sessions, you can take your first longer break for 20 minutes. With this method, you will achieve more effective learning and be able to stay motivated while studying.
2. Maximize Concentration Time
Although a lack of concentration exists still without concentration study hacks can not be effective. We are adults with many worries and occupations and it is normal for them to come and distract us when we finally stop. It is okay to be distracted or to have thoughts invade you when you start studying. The important thing is that you do not get distracted by each one of them. Write down what worries you and allocate time for it in your planning. Once it is resolved, it will not bother you again.
Start with the most difficult thing and see how long you can concentrate. If you haven’t studied for a long time, it’s normal that you won’t be able to concentrate for more than 30 minutes at first. Don’t worry, it’s okay. Take a five-minute break and go back to studying. After the first few weeks of studying, add five minutes until you can manage to study for 40 or 50-minute periods. Remember that the important thing is to learn the content; no one will ever ask you how much it costs you.10. Lack of concentration is normal.
3. Eliminate Distractions
When studying, focus on a specific task and try not to multitask. It’s also important to keep your desk and study environment as organized as possible, as a tidy environment will help you study more effectively.
Also, if you’re wondering how to study quickly and well for an exam, you should know that eliminating all distractions that could distract you from your goal is essential: put your phone in airplane mode and tell your roommates that you’ll need to concentrate for a few hours.
Turn off your phone. When you finish your study session, answer all the calls or WhatsApp messages you receive and indicate that you are studying. Little by little, your close circle will get used to not calling you at those times. If necessary, set aside time in your schedule to manage your phone, but only do it at the scheduled times.
4. Memonic a Trick to Study
Use mnemonic aids when you need to remember things like years, formulas, vocabulary, or theories. You can, for example:
- Formulate mnemonic phrases from the initial letters
- Make abbreviations from the initial letters
- Make a rhythm of sentences
- Ideally, the tips should be so fun or creative that you can’t help but remember them. Your imagination has no limits.
➜ Method to study faster: The flashcards. One tip for optimal study is to combine the flashcard technique with mnemonic aids. You can write down your aids on the cards and learn much faster all that content that is difficult to remember.
5. Get Enough Rest
This is one of the essential study hacks. Many people believe that it is better to sleep fewer hours so that you can study for longer. This is discouraged. If we are tired, we do not perform well. You should sleep an average of 8 hours to be fresh and be able to concentrate better.
Study breaks and rest periods do not slow down your learning progress, but rather speed it up. You should avoid studying all day, even during exam phases, and also make sure you get enough sleep.
➜ Study tip: We recommend that you take a break of at least 15 minutes after 90 minutes of studying. After about four hours, it is ideal to take a longer break of one to two hours. During this time, you can, for example, take a nap, go outside for some fresh air, or do any other activity that relaxes you and gives you pleasure.
6. Save Time for Review.
Forgetting is another phase of learning and the way to combat it is to review. When you start studying, do a quick read of what you studied yesterday, it will help to consolidate the knowledge and not lose the thread of the study. Organize weekly reviews, studies show that after a week, we have forgotten 97% of what we studied. As you progress through the syllabus you will have to dedicate more days to review, don’t worry, the time for review is an investment, since you will consolidate the content. There is no point in moving forward if you forget what you have already studied.
7. Use Colors in Texts or Alternate Content
Who hasn’t used highlighters to highlight important information in books? Separating key information will prevent us from being overwhelmed by so much information and will make it easier to memorize.
Alternate the study of topics of varying difficulty, this way you will be able to activate your attention. For example, alternate the study of legislative topics with topics specific to your specialty, so when your attention wanes, after a break you will be able to activate it again by changing activities. Try these study hacks to not get bored.
8. Eat Properly
Having a proper diet is also included in study hacks. You must eat a healthy and natural diet during your study days (and throughout the year). You need foods rich in vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6. You also need minerals and vitamins. Ideally, you should eat light meals, not heavy ones, because it will be difficult for you to concentrate and you will be more sleepy than usual.
On the other hand, if you drink caffeine, do so in moderation, and also try herbal teas. Avoid alcohol and drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated.
9. Quick Study Method
To memorize long texts more quickly, you need to improve your speed reading. With this trick for studying faster, you can focus only on the important points of the text. In general, you skim the entire content but retain the important details.
This way, you can read and understand very long texts in a short time. Speed reading trains your brain to be more productive and to internalize information more quickly.
10. Have Good Notes
Every person is different, so notes are very personal. You have to try to find a way to take notes in class that will be useful for studying. Once the class is over, try to review them to make sure that all the concepts are clear to you. If not, consult with your classmates or the teacher.
Conclusion
These study hacks can not make you a toper overnight. However, if you start implementing these hacks in your daily routine it can transform your educational journey. These study hacks will play a part in the ladder of your academic success. Consistency is the key to success, these study hacks also require focus and persistence. You will notice significant improvements and productivity if you stay committed to these for the long-term.
