Study Tips

As the school year comes to a close, finals are on the rise. I cannot believe summer break is so soon! Also the fact that this is my last year of high school is unbelievable to me. In this post I wanted to provide some of my favorite study tips as well as how I motivate myself to study. 

Motivation by the end of the year (especially as a senior) is extremely low for most. I will say that my trip to Nepal and breaking ground on the school motivated me. Seeing first hand their lack of education made me want to work harder. The villagers work as hard as they possibly can, but without certain resources they can only get so far. We are given the exact resources we need on a silver platter, and yet many of use choose to ignore them. This feels snobby, pretentious, and out of touch with the world to be quite honest. How can we not take advantage of the vast knowledge at our fingertips when others dream to be able to have a quarter of it. 

We need to remember how much work we have done throughout the year. It would be a shame to end it on a poor note. Switch your mindset. Instead of dreading how much you have to do or the act of studying, make it more enjoyable for yourself. Put a higher frequency around studying. We give energy and emotion to everything. Studying as an act and a word has no feeling, no energy, it just is. If you dread it, that’s because you put negative energy around it. Let’s change the narrative. Switch it up, go to a coffee shop, treat yourself if you meet your goals, find a schedule that works for you. Mix in something fun. 

Don’t overwork yourself. Remember, life is about balance. Trying to do too much will leave you unmotivated, the exact opposite of what you are trying to do. Your study schedule may be different from other peoples and that is normal. You may need to study more or less, you may need more or less breaks, you may have a different way of studying, etc. 

Make your days productive. I find that I get more motivated when I am more productive and taking steps to become who I want to be. More is not always more, but sometimes it is. Do things that make you feel put together and successful. For me, that means wearing cute clothes, making my bed, eating healthy, and working out. 

Use your time wisely. Think about how much spare time sitting around you have. For me, that is sitting in some classes doing absolutely nothing. Instead of going on my phone, I choose to use this time to study or get work done. Are you always (or ever) going to want to do this? No, not really. However, I know that my future self will thank me. I get it done at school so I can have fun when I get home. When you change the narrative around studying and start to get a little excited at the thought of knowing so much and figuring the hard things out, you feel ready to get what needs to be done done. Call it stupid and refuse to do it. You are only hurting yourself and preventing growth and joy. I know that most people will say that it is impossible to view studying as slightly “fun” or “enjoyable,” but that will only prove your point. If you believe it is impossible you are limiting yourself. If you believe it is possible, you will make it happen. 

Think of the end goal. How cool is it that if you work really hard you can do super well and gain so much knowledge. You know that feeling where the knowledge is there, but it is all scrambled and you can’t quite remember everything? Picture like a disorganized filing cabinet. Papers flying everywhere, things out of order, and some papers lost along the way. Studying is like getting organized. The papers are found, they are out in their perfect categories, and at any moment you can pick out the exact piece of paper you were looking for and share the knowledge it provides. 

Now let’s get into the studying tips themselves: 

First things first, getting started… Getting started is by far the hardest part. You just have to do it. Rip off the bandaid. Stop overthinking it. I know there is a lot of information to get through, but you can do it. At one point, you knew this information, and you can know it again. Start by looking at what chapters you need to know. If it is a regular unit test, look at how many lessons are in the unit. If it is a final exam, look at all the chapters you have studied. Start at the beginning. In most subjects, there tends to be a general progression so starting at the beginning will be helpful. Also, that is the chapter that you studied longest ago so it is probably the farthest away from your memory. 

Come up with a study schedule. Look at how many days or weeks you have until your exam or test and divide out the chapters or lessons accordingly. Look at how busy your weeks are. If one week or day is busier than another, modify the amount of work you have at that time, an assign it elsewhere. 

Look for websites or resources to help. I promise you there are a million different videos, practice tests, notes, powerpoints, etc. out there you just have to look for them. If there is a specific topic you are struggling with, look up a video and then take a practice test to check your knowledge. 

That brings me to my next point, don’t just mindlessly watch videos or take notes, you have to also check that the information is going into your brain. Figure out how you study best first. For me, I have to write EVERYTHING out on paper and on my whiteboard. I then also watch videos and say it out loud. Call me crazy, but I act as if I am teaching a class and have to say the information from memory out loud. Then, I also take quizzes or self-quiz. Most of the time, studying one way isn’t going to work. You need multiple ways where multiple senses are brought into play. Studies have shown how important it is to write, listen, and speak. 

The way I am studying for my exams is just as I said above. I am looking at how many chapters and how many weeks, making a plan, and using all the study methods I know. I have to write and rewrite and then write again to finally get it in my brain. The first time I write it, I am refreshing myself on the information. The second time I am starting to retain more and do it a little from memory. The third or fourth time I can finally do it from memory. I make sure I can explain everything I am writing down because if you can explain something, that is how you really known you know it. 

You all are going to hate me for this one, but it is so insanely important to put your phone away. Put it away! Like all the way away. In another room, in a drawer, etc. Somewhere where you can’t see it. Turn your notifications off and just focus. Remove all distractions. The more distractions you have the longer it is going to take to get your studying done and when you get it done, it will have been interrupted and you probably won’t retain a lot of it. 

Find what works for you. Maybe that means music. I like piano music, but any music with words is an absolute no go. Find a room or a place that you like studying in. For many people, there are too many distractions in their room or house so they go to a coffee shop or library. Start taking the initiative to be better and do better to become successful. Maybe going with a friend is helpful, maybe that is the worst decision ever. You have to be honest with yourself because in the end you will only hurt you. 

Take breaks, but be intentional about them. Tell yourself if you get X done you can do Y. 

Don’t give up or get lazy. I know it can be annoying. I know you would rather do something else, but you can do it. It is only temporary. Keep going until you really know the information. How nice is it to go into a test feeling confident? So nice! How amazing is it to breeze through the test because you prepared well? So amazing!