Studying process is quite a tough period of life that should be overcome. Different obstacles, such as stress, depression, difficult material, personal problems always make the conditions harsh to get the most out of your education. Luckily, it is possible to deal with facing problems with a few easy tips. Therefore, here are some best recommendations how to forget about your rough college life and make things flow smoothly.
What Is the Most Efficient Way to Study?
The process of obtaining new knowledge and skills is ongoing. A smart student knows that it is not something that can be left until the last moment. If you are one of the determined students wondering “how can I study smarter?” then this guide is written just for you. To succeed with your study, you should constantly improve your writing and research skills, as well as learn some effective study tips that will help you optimize this process. Knowing how to study well, you will be able to avoid stress and frustration. No essays, research papers, or online tests will frighten you if you know how to study effectively. By learning the great study tips for students and mastering the study habits, you will be able to make things easier meeting and exceeding the expectations of your professors. So, have a look at the great techniques that will help you improve your study results.
Organizing Productive Studying
Organize Your Working Schedule Properly
One of the most effective study tips is to take control of your working schedule. All of your academic tasks and projects have certain deadlines and you need to meet them. By setting reasonable deadlines for your tasks, you will be able to optimize the writing process. Below, you will find several suggestions on how to do it right:
- Get used to planning. On the same day of each week (better on weekend), create a plan of your work for the following week;
- Go through each class to understand what tasks you would like to complete within this class;
- Look at your calendar and set reasonable deadlines for the following assignments;
- Estimate how much time exactly each task will take. Do not be afraid that some of your estimations will appear incorrect because you will always be able to revise your schedule. For instance, if after the unsuccessful experience, you found that you need more time for the preparation for the online test, make sure to spend more time on it the following week;
- Note in your calendar when you are planning to have your assignments completed;
- Every day, before going to bed, make sure to plan your following day. In such a way, you will be able to avoid procrastination waking up with a clear understanding of what should be done exactly.
Working Place Without Distractions
With a few necessary things for studying, you will avoid unnecessary distractions that do not let you organize your educational process appropriately. Make sure you have a clean desk and all the significant tools, necessary for the tasks. Put aside your mobile devices and turn off the laptop unless you need music – this kind of experience actually helps a lot of people to set themselves for the right studying tune.
Change Your Scenery
The studies show that changing your scenery from time to time you will be able to increase your productivity. No doubt, studying at the same place every day, you can easily get bored. The psychologists admit that changing the room for the study can significantly increase the student’s concentration.
List of Things to Do
Of course, your memory can store the unlimited amount of information, however, when it comes to recollecting, it may turn out to be a harsh task to get a piece of necessary data. Make sure you have a notebook (preferably not a digital) to write down all your tasks. Prioritize them according to the importance and do not let yourself skip any of them. Cross out the positions that have been completed – this way your brain feels a relief of achieving success with a certain task.
Breaks Between the Tasks
When you are constantly working for several hours, your brain may suffer from overload, so it is of the utmost importance to reward yourself with rest. Once you have completed a difficult essay and you know there is another one waiting for you, it is better to take a deep breath and make a 10-minute break. Your consciousness will forget about the tedious routine and your body will rewind a bit. If you know that your working process will last for long, make a bigger pause every two hours. Usually 30 minutes is enough for the complete recovery after a difficult writing.
Calmness and Right Tune
Distractions are difficult things to deal with. The most common one is unnecessary noise that constantly prevents you from the efficient working process. For this reason, it is recommended to get headphones, find appropriate music and simply dive into your task. The choice of the music genre depends only on you – classics here works the best as it is considered as the most unpretentious. If you are more into a different types, it is only up to you what music to use to distract yourself from the world and focus on fulfilling the tasks.
Feeling of Outcast
For the time of preparing your tasks, simply forget about the social networks and other unnecessary websites. If you cannot control yourself and your hands constantly strive to put a few likes and make a comment, you should start using specialized applications for blocking Facebook, Instagram, and others. The simplest one is “Do Not Disturb” mode on your phone that you can turn on to avoid all those notifications.
Do Exercises
It is difficult to underestimate the importance of physical exercises on the human brain. Studies show that even a little workout greatly boosts the work of the human brain as the body is pumping oxygen and other nutrients to the brain. In such a way, the individual thinks faster and memorizes the information easier. The psychologists state that regular exercises make the individual open, alert, and able to absorb new information during the studying process.
Focus on the Process Instead of the Outcome
If you are focused on getting a specific grade, it is a failing strategy because, if you want to be successful, you need to focus on the process of the study. When talking about effective study tips, Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, claims that a good student:
- Focuses on the studying process, not the achievements;
- Know the areas that should be improved;
- Embraces challenges;
- Considers success as something that is pushing him or her to face new challenges.
In other words, you should focus on accomplishing not performance but learning goals. Do you want to find out the difference between these two types? For instance, getting an A for the test is a performance goal whereas learning the information that will help pursue a career in the desired field of study is a learning goal. Unfortunately, many students still focus on the performance goals believing that they study to get good marks. However, they should pay attention that each assignment that is completed successfully makes them closer to fulfilling their career aspirations.
Self-Care Tips for College Students
Take a minute to think about your body and brain as living beings that also need help and support. We used to take care of our physical shape because we wanted to be more fit and attractive. However, you should understand that the body is closely related to the mind and both of them need some rest and nourishment. If you want to stay focused on your study, you need to check out some self-care tips for college students. Our tips will help you increase your productivity and become happier.
If you think that you will do more by staying up all night and skipping your meals, you are not right. By doing harm to your body and mind, you will not be able to reach the anticipated result and if you manage to reach it, you will be too tired to enjoy it. Preparing for the test for days and nights, you may end up forgetting everything right after pressing press the “Start” button. As a result, your academic reputation will suffer. What to do? If you want to become a good college student without sacrificing your health and personal life, make sure to check our guide as it contains several self-care ideas for college students that will improve your life.
Self-care is mental, physical, and emotional hygiene that we all should have. It has nothing to do with selfishness. On the contrary, the better we care for ourselves the more energy we have to care for others. Just think about it – when you are drained physically, emotionally and mentally, how do you feel? Is it a state in which you can help others and achieve your own goals? Our wellbeing is our own business, and when life gets hectic we should know how to handle the stress and not forget about the basics. Here are the tips for taking care of yourself, even if life gets chaotic:
- Sleep at least 7-8 hours daily. Forget about all-nighters because in the end they will drain most of your energy. If you don’t give brain enough time to rest it will refuse to work properly;
- Drink enough water and eat healthy. Not any liquid you want, but water. Not soda, coffee or tea – water. Got it? You should drink 30 milliliters of water for one kilogram of your body’s weight on a daily basis. Do it regularly and you will have fewer problems with health. As for the food – focus on fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Pizza, cookies and donuts will not make you healthier, though you can eat them once in a while;
- Exercise regularly. You need it not just to look good, but to feel better. Pick whatever you like – running, jogging, cycling, circuit training and practice it regularly at least 30 minutes 5 times a week. If you start exercising today, your future-self will say a huge thank you in 20 years;
- Help others. You may think, “What does it have to do with self-care?” Well… a lot! When you shift your focus from your needs to other people’s needs, your life becomes much more meaningful and you get more energy to achieve your goals. Volunteer, help your friends say hi to a neighbor or cook dinner for someone who needs it. It’s easy!
- There are so many benefits of meditation, that you will scratch your head while reading tons of surprising research reports from the scientific world. The short conclusion is this – we need it just as we need water and exercise if we want to live happy and fulfilled lives. Try mindfulness meditation;
- Learn how to say “No.” If you are a “yes” person, people will always use it. However, the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn how to say “no” to people. Your friend is asking you to help with his/her homework but you are too tired? Say “no.” Your classmate is asking you for a book but you need it as well? Say “no.” Although you may feel uncomfortable because of your refusals, you will see that that by practicing this advice, your life will be much better;
- Protect your time. Making a good schedule is one of the best self-care tips for college students. Of course, there will be the things or events that won’t fit it. However, being organized is a great skill that will help you succeed in the future, no matter what career you choose. Pay attention that when making a schedule, you should not forget to include the time for having a rest. Refreshing the mind is a great technique that should be practiced by every student;
- As for additional techniques of self-care for college students, you should not forget about your hobbies. For every person, a hobby is an activity that allows to forget about the daily routine. By refusing from your hobbies for the sake of the study, you will make a wrong decision because a hobby helps the person to refresh the mind, which is particularly important. Do you like reading? Great! Make sure to spend a few minutes of hours reading an interesting book, and your study results will become higher;
- Communicate with positive people. The surrounding people play a huge role in our life. Your friends should not use you only as a studying assistant or a person, who would listen to all their concerns anytime. Good friends will always share their positive energy with you helping you face all the challenges and hardships. Yes, a good friend is hard to find but if you manage to find one, you will feel calmness and balance;
- Do not be afraid of spending your time alone. Although you may think that it is one of the weirdest self-care tips for college students, keep in mind that you are a great universe full of creative ideas, bright thoughts, and interesting reflections. Do not call your friend every time you stay alone. Enjoy communication with yourself. By doing the things that are interesting to you for at least 15 minutes per day, will make yourself happier and more productive;
- Hire a writing service. If you are too tired from doing your challenging academic tasks, you should consider hiring a professional writing team and all your worries will disappear. By delegating the challenging research paper assignment on the shoulders of the experienced academic writer, you will be able to relax and focus on the things and activities that make you truly happy. WeWriteOnline.com is the writing company that will help you achieve your academic goals at a pretty affordable cost. No matter how challenging or urgent your assignment is, we are always at your disposal. After all, self-care in college is a very important thing and you should not underestimate it.
We do hope that our tips on self-care activities for college students helped you understand how to increase your productivity.
Follow these self-care tips and forget about stress!