We often hear teachers and peers tell us to study smart and not study hard but nobody gave us the formula for studying smart. This is why Tutopiya here is to give you the secret recipe for studying smartly.
What is Study Smart?
Studying Smart means students study in a way that helps them to learn faster, remember more and faster with lesser effort.
Here are the 7 secret ways of studying smartly.
7 ways to study smart
1 – Using the right study techniques
Studying smartly means using the right study techniques that suit you best. Some study methods have proven to be significantly more effective than others.
Read also: How to Study Effectively Using Active Recall and Spaced Repetition
Active Recall study technique, paired with Spaced Repetition, yields one of the best studying results. Rather than constantly summarizing, highlight and rereading your lecture notes, active recall requires students to remember and extract information from their memory.
Whereas Spaced Repetition is to review what you learnt periodically to retain the information in your head for a longer period of time.
Combining these two study methods, you will find yourself cramming lesser things in a shorter period of time nearer to your examinations.
2 – Study in small chunks
It is good to take breaks in between study sessions, rest and break time are what helps you to go on longer and further.
It is important to know that the break time should not be extremely long such that it breaks your studying momentum.
Pomodoro method is one of the study techniques that many students have claimed to be effective. You can adjust the Pomodoro to what fits you the best.
Some find themselves doing a 25 minutes study to a 5 minutes break is effective, whereas others would do 50 minutes of studying to 10 minutes break.
This boils down to the subject content as well as personal studying habits.
Keep in mind that the Pomodoro study method is only effective if your rest/break time is not too long to break your studying momentum. Read more about The Pomodoro Study Method here.
3 – Don’t be afraid of making mistakes
The people who study smart are not afraid of mistakes and failures learn the most at the end of the day.
“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” – Thomas Edison
Think of mistakes and failures differently, because every mistake you make, you will learn something new and this is a learning process.
4 – Multitasking is not studying smartly
Multitasking does not improve efficiency and productivity in studying. Yes, you get a lot of things done at the same time, it affects the quality of the things you have gotten done.
In order to study smartly, you need to know when to prioritise what is important. Learn to eliminate distractions when it comes to studying, distractions such as social media, games and etc that takes your focus away from studying.
How to remove distractions
- Put your devices as far away as possible such that it will require you to walk out of your study table
- Keep your study table as clean as possible and only keep the things that you need for studying
5 – Manage your time and plan out your days ahead of time
Planning out your study session and know what you will be completed during your study session will increase your productivity and study effectiveness.
Especially when the examination period is right around the corner, it is best to eliminate all distractions and focus on spending your time wisely.
Practice essentialism and place your focal point on completing your revision.
Read also: How to manage your time effectively
For every day, it is good to form a habit of thinking about what you need or wish to complete tomorrow. Set time aside every night to write a quick to-do list for tomorrow so you don’t essentially spend time pondering about what you need to get done the next day.
6 – Review your lecture notes as soon as possible
If you are a student, you probably know that it is impossible to take away 100% of the lecture materials that were gone through by your teacher in class.
We tend to forget some of the things that were taught in class, hence it is recommended to review your lecture notes at the end of the day while your memory is still fresh.
7 – Applying the concepts you learnt in real life
There is no better way to reinforce your concepts than to apply the concepts you learnt in real life. Especially subjects like Physics, a very practical subject with very abstract concepts, it is best understood when you apply what you learn to what you encounter every day.
Try to see the world from the lens of your own study. You will find yourself with more motivation to study.
In a nutshell
Studying smart definitely helps you to go a long way, and studying smart also means studying hard.
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
Tutopiya wishes all students all the best in their studies!
