It’s quite amazing to think that the amount of time typical Americans work in their lifetime is around 90,000 hours! With so many hours dedicated to working throughout our lives, it’s important to set the standard of a solid work ethic from the start to promote future success.
Also, the sweet success you’re after in your academic life will serve you well throughout your professional life if you learn to study and work smart! Yet, with such a vast source of study tips for college students online, what advice should you follow?
Well, in this guide we’ll let you know some proven fundamental tips that should help you set out an excellent study routine. Follow these tips to get you on the right track from day one. Then, you can pick and choose other advice as you progress through your studies.
Now, let’s run through the study tips:
Create a Comprehensive Schedule
When you begin your first year at college you’ll be bombarded with information and commitments you need to follow throughout your first term. When this happens, a good idea is to have a small notebook and pen handy to write down key reminders of things you need to schedule.
Then, at the end of each day spend time creating a proper schedule that reflects all of your college-related commitments alongside any personal pursuits you have in mind. The key is to find a nice balance that you feel won’t be too stressful and demanding but not too easy either.
Make use of a digital calendar and put all of your classes with reminders on there for the entire term. Also, begin to form a habit of scheduling homework time on your calendar along with its due date.
If you are joining any clubs or continuing some kind of activity that you already do in your free time, schedule them accordingly. Make sure you also schedule times to relax, socialize, and have new experiences to get the best out of your college life!
Learn Where You Study Best
Have you ever thought about how to have better study sessions? You shouldn’t underestimate location!
At college, you’ll be in a completely new environment where you’ll have to rethink where and how you want to study. Right from the start, you should try to explore different ways of studying to find the ones that will serve you best.
For instance, you might like a little background noise and hubbub as you study sometimes? If this is the case then head over to a nearby coffee shop and see how that works. Or, if you require absolute silence, head down to the library, or stay in your dorm if it’s quiet enough.
You may even be able to find a solitary outdoor seating area if you enjoy the outdoors as you read and learn. Or study groups might be your thing?
The point is, that you need to start finding spaces that you can routinely go to and run through a regular study routine. For most people, it’s nice to have some variation and you should enter these study times into the schedule we talked about above.
Destroy Your Ability to Procrastinate
Procrastination is a habit that the best and brightest of us suffer from at some point in our lives. If you don’t deal with it early on, it can plague you throughout your academic and professional career.
One excellent method to deal with procrastination is the Pomodoro technique. Put in simple terms, this technique involves you doing short bursts of any task at hand and then having small breaks in between.
For example, you can choose an assignment and then set about doing it for 25 minutes on a timer. Once that time is up, you get a five-minute break, and then you go about doing another 25 minutes. You can choose how many 25-minute 5-minute break segments you want to do in a session, but get into the habit of sticking to the technique to kill procrastination!
Make Use of Parkinson’s Law
Along with the Pomodoro technique, you can use Parkinson’s law to get work done in a more efficient manner. Parkinson’s law mentions that the work you do will fill up the time you allow for it to be done.
In general, the idea is it doesn’t matter whether you give yourself five hours or ten hours to complete something. The law says you will complete the task in the time you allotted, making it one of the most profound studying tips you can discover!
Of course, you have to be realistic about the amount of work you have and what is physically possible for a human! But, it’s always worth questioning whether you need so much time to complete a specific task and if you could reduce that time. By using this law, you may get a lot more done in college than you ever realized you could!
Get Outside and Exercise
If you’re wondering how to study well, one important thing to consider is not studying all the time! Degrees are more than just books and words after all.
It’s all too easy to get stuck behind your desk or lazed out on the sofa absorbed in books and college assignments. Yet, neglecting your physical health can also be detrimental to the way you study.
Make a habit of getting outside at least once a day, even if it’s for a walk. If you’re more ambitious get into running or one of the various other sporting activities that might be on offer at your college.
Follow These Study Tips for College Students
The study tips for college students we’ve put together in this post should help you right away when you go to college. By following this advice, you should set yourself up for the potential of excellent grades, and great work habits for future success.
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