The art of studying

Diego Valdes

 

Studying is the process of learning knowledge and applying it to our lives. It’s something that we do all the time, we always “learn something new every day”. Therefore, it’s essential to study in the best way possible in order to learn more efficiently and possess more knowledge; this can be a very difficult task.

 

so, whether you’re striving to get a good grade on a subject, or you’re trying to keep more knowledge in your head, here are five very important tips that I’d recommend you apply to your studies, both at school and at home, and all based on the two books titled “Cómo estudiar mejor” by Emán, which have inspired me a lot.

 

AVOID PROCRASTINATION

This is the main reason why students fall behind on their studies: the usual “I’ll leave it for later” and “It won’t take too long”, it’s a mental trap that, almost all of the time, ends up with you stressing yourself out with 4 assignments due tomorrow. It’s not a healthy habit at all! If you’re really stating that it’s easy and won’t take long, why not do it today instead of tomorrow? Keep in mind that you’ll have to do it eventually, and trust me, you’ll be doing future-you a huge favor.

 

However, if you still find it demotivating to do homework, I suggest you follow one of these two strategies:

 

• Write down all the assignments you have due, and do a fragment of each assignment every day until their respective due date; it’s so much less stressful than doing it all on a single day.

 

• If you want to try and finish a large assignment without getting tired of it, try the 45:15 rule: work for 45 minutes, take a break for 15, and repeat until you get it done; I don’t recommend watching social media or any show/movie during the break, as those 15 minutes could possibly become hours of wasted potential.

 

PRACTICE IN YOUR FREE TIME

We all know that if you don’t do enough exercise, you won’t get stronger. It’s almost the same with studying; if you don’t practice a subject often, you’ll eventually forget most of its material, and you’ll have to learn it all over again.

 

I know this next tip may seem annoying, but it’s important to study in your free time as well, preferably every day (and yes, that includes weekends); 30-60 minutes a day is already better than studying 4 hours before an exam (and you’re even more lost if you think learning from memory is a good idea). If this is too much for you, try only 15 minutes and raise the amount of studying time each day until you reach around an hour; finally, I really recommend to study the subject that troubles you the most so you don’t fall more behind, and once you get to the same level as the other subjects, take turns on which one to practice next.

FIND YOUR MOTIVATIONS

Studying shouldn’t be just an obligation, but instead a habit, something we enjoy; when you don’t enjoy studying, you don’t learn as much as you could. Therefore, if there’s a subject you don’t like studying at school, try to find an aspect of it that you like: maybe there’s a question you’ve always wanted to know the answer to, and it has to do with a certain subject you don’t like, try to connect the two and perhaps you’ll find the motivation to study it!

 

MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CLASSES

Classes offer you a chance to learn directly from your teacher, but I’ve seen many people not appreciate this opportunity, some spend the class talking to their close friend, daydreaming, desperately watching the clock, or maybe even trying to complete the daily Wordle; these people are missing out on a lot of valuable information!

 

Instead, try to follow the next few suggestions in your next class:

• Keep a good posture at all times

• Try to sit near the front of the classroom to be fully immersed in the class

• Don’t take out anything that isn’t related to the subject.

• Do your best to avoid any distractions and focus on the class.

 

It is also ABSOLUTELY essential to listen, not hear, listen to the teacher, which is to actually process and understand their words. This is even more important when taking notes, but please don’t just write down what the presentation says! Instead, try to process all the information you’re given in your head, and when the teacher pauses or isn’t explaining as much, write down the main ideas or any extra information that they have given.

 

Another good practice to enhance your understanding of the subject is to, during the class, write down three questions/doubts you have about today’s material, and at the end of the class, ask the teacher if they can answer them for you.

 

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

It has been proven that your lifestyle also has an effect on your mental capacities, so it’s better to keep these things in check to have a more active mind during your studies. For instance, a balanced diet is quite important, some students make a slight mistake when going to school without having eaten breakfast, as you don’t reach your full potential (both mentally and physically), proteins are essential when it comes to breakfast, and these can come from dairy-based foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese.

 

Other kinds of food that can help are meat, fish, and chicken, which enhance concentration, memory, and creativity, as well as hard cheese, sardines, egg yolks, almonds, whole wheat flour, and liver. It's not recommended to get full from wheat like cookies, breads, pastas, etc, as it can block your brain from working as well as it could be otherwise. Finally, mental exercises can help a lot as well in order to bring more oxygen to the brain and increase your brain stimulus; activities such as yoga are great for relaxation and the concentration of the mind, so give some yoga poses a try!

 

I really hope these tips can help you study better and learn more effectively and efficiently about the world around you. Remember to always try to learn something new every day, and that good studying is not only helpful for your studies, but also for your overall lifestyle.