Learn how to study and improve grades
There really are ways to improve your study skills and study better.
This is my list of How to Study:
- Study for 25-50 minutes and then take a 15-20 minute break. This is a great How to Study tip. When you take the break:
– Go for a walk
– Play with your dog
– Do some exercises
– Get some fresh air
– Get your blood flowing - Get 6-8 hours of sleep the night after you learn something. According to Dr. James Maas: If you get 6-8 hours of sleep the night after you learn something you will remember it better when you wake up. This is because in the 6-8 hour window of sleep your brain will reply what you learned the day before. (If you find yourself sleep deprived take a 15-30 minute nap, no more than 30 minutes before you study)
- Take notes in class is such an important how to study tip. It is not as effective if you have someone else take the notes for you.
- Clear your mind of all distractions. If there is something that is bothering you visualize the way you would like for it to be before you study to calm your brain and focus on how to study.
- The Keyword technique. If you find your mind drifting when you are studying then focus on a keyword in the text and say it over and over until your brain is focused back on that lesson. For example, if you are reading about Lincoln say, ‘Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln,’ over and over until your brain is back on topic.
- Learn the most important ideas first. The back of the book, end of each chapter or table of contents will often give you a great idea of the main points to look for when reading
- Learn the list of terms in the glossary of any text you are studying
- The craziest how to study tip may be to chew gum when you study. Then when you take the test chew the same flavor of gum as when you studied. This could act as an anchor to trigger your brain to think back to what you were studying and help you remember the information
- Trick your brain into thinking you are reading something exciting like a movie script. If it is about the history of the United States a great how to study tip would be to pretend it is a script for a tv show or movie that you love.
- Learn the Roman Room or Memory Palace techniques. This is my FAVORITE technique for studying. Here is a link for that https://memorise.org/memory-training/memory-mind-palace
