Studying is something that we have to face often and many times it is difficult for us. The key to being successful in your studies is not a matter of time but of how you take advantage of it.
You want to know how to study fast, easy and well? In this Psychology-Online article you will find everything you need to learn to study. In addition, we offer you 12 strategies to make the most of your study hours.
Studying is a difficult job and you have to take it calmly and without being discouraged. First you have to bear in mind that to face the study you have to be convinced that you are capable of learning what you are going to study. "I'm going to suspend", "I'm not capable", "I don't know anything"... are some typical phrases of the students, provoked by nerves.
The best remedy to overcome it is to be well prepared, but your attitude is also very important. Try to encourage positive thoughts such as "I've done my best" or "It's just a test."
How do I learn to study?
A good way to start studying and face an exam season is to write down what you should study each day and plan so you don't forget anything.
Next, we show you the best psychological strategies to optimize your study and be able to learn easily, quickly and well.
1. Hide the temptations!
Distractions waste a lot of time, be less effective, and increase feelings of incompetence. Leave the mobile aside or in silence, do not have the television next to it, etc. And start studying in a quiet place, where noises don't distract you.
2. Make you have few excuses to get up
Reduce the likelihood of getting up by having water nearby and all the study material you need.
Set specific goals.
3. Plan and divide
Manage the study in small parts, in this way you will have the feeling of progress and will encourage you to continue studying. Discover here more tips to plan your study so that you can concentrate to study and memorize.
4. Be careful with the food
Avoid large meals or start studying hungry so that your body can take better care of it.
Start with the hardest.
5. Energy is decreasing
If you leave the most difficult for last, it is very likely that you will not have the strength left and that you will see it more complicated than it is.
6. Make outlines
To organize the content to your mind and realize if you have understood what you studied. If you understand what you study you will learn much more and it will remain in your memory much longer.
7. Try association techniques
If you have to memorize lists, or a lot of syllabi, try to associate the new you are learning with what you already know and that are more familiar to you. This way you will retain it better in your memory.
8. Give yourself small rewards that motivate you
You can combine small rewards in the middle of the study with larger and more meaningful ones that motivate you more, when you have finished studying. If you think you have not given enough, do not reward yourself, otherwise it will not have any effect when you do.
9. Do not leave it for the last moment
If I have learned something, it is that if you study a little in advance, your brain will be able to retain what it has learned much better.
10. Do repetitions of what you have learned
Repeat what you are reading aloud in this way you will be activating two channels to retain the information: the visual and the auditory.
11. Dare to evaluate your knowledge
Challenge yourself and review what you have learned. If you have the opportunity, tell someone around you. The feeling of challenge creates a certain tension but also satisfaction.
12. Take breaks.
You need to rest so your brain can focus. And after all, concentration is the key to being successful in the studio. You may think that you do not have time for it but your performance will be higher if you are rested.
Finally, if you want to know how to study fast, easy and well. You must take into account a very important factor during the study: concentration. This higher cognitive process is defined as the ability to maintain attention on a specific stimulus and to be able to capture as much information as possible about said stimulus. Here are some tips to learn to study and improve your concentration:
- Sleep the necessary hours
- Hydrate properly
- Learn to respect your rhythm and do not force yourself
- Study is a matter of practice and habits, take it easy but without leaving it for the last moment
- Make it an enjoyable activity and adapt the study to your tastes
- If you need more tips, you can read the following article about how to improve memory to study.
Tips during the exam
If you are very nervous relax with breathing exercises and be positive thinking that you will give everything you can to take a good exam. Above all, read all the questions carefully before starting to write and if you have any questions, ask the teacher. If at any point you get stuck on any question, go to the next one and when you finish you will return to where you got stuck. Do not deliver the exam without taking a look at it and first of all, make sure that you have put your name on the exam.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
