Back-to-school and exam seasons bring back the enthusiasm to earn those top grades!
That's the time people really want to improve their study routines and get back to the whole 'mindset' shifting from the jolly holidays.
I study for a minimum of 3 hours on the weekdays and at most 6 hours on the weekends. That's because classes take up half the day.
It was a learning curve in itself, trying build the best study routine but each of us need to take the time needed to realize our own limits and strengths.
Let me give you some tips I use that can help you improve your study routine to be more effective and fruitful.
1. Use the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is the method in which you work for 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutes. You can alter it as you wish such as 50 minutes work and 10 minutes break, and so on.
But I thought about how it could be applied to study routines too.
I made it my own and experimented with 1 hour study and 15 minutes break, 2-3 such sessions at a time and it worked well. You can use it to suit it to fit your own needs. There shouldn't be any more than 6 sessions per day.
I strongly recommend you to not directly make this your permanent study routine without experimenting with it for at least a few days to acclimatize to it and also to help you realize whether it really is comfortable for you.
Try out the different study methods out there, see what works best and then modify it as much as you would like it.
It's really all about trial-and-error, experimentation and taking the time to understand how effective it is for you.
2. Treat Yourself with Sufficient Breaks
However counterproductive this may sound, you need to take enough breaks to rewind and clear your mind in between study sessions.
Productivity can decrease due to intensive and relentlessly long study sessions without giving yourself a break.
I have had many terrible experiences without taking breaks myself and that taught to me to take breaks whenever required even if it means breaking my own rules.
So I take two long breaks if I am studying the whole day and one long break if I am studying for half the day, and both ways I would have plenty of short, 15 minute breaks in between study sessions.
Do things that you thoroughly enjoy and savor it without ever thinking about studies. Make those breaks count.
Trust me, you'll regret not relaxing when you should have.
3. Have a Productivity System: Calendar blocking, task and risk management
You need a system in place to hold you accountable and a plan that can guide you along the way.
Something that makes you take it seriously and prevents you from procrastinating.
I use the calendar blocking system to keep myself on track and it helps me to maintain that flow throughout.
Even if you don't want to do digital planning, feel free to do bullet journalling or analog planning; whatever is best.
You need to manage your tasks. Even if it is as simple as a checklist, when those assignments pile up, you need to have them somewhere so that you do all of them on time and score well in those assessments.
You should always consider risk management while planning. You never know what could possibly go wrong.
Sometimes schedules go apart or unexpected circumstances arise (like it is now), but you need to still be able to move on without any hassle.
Especially for the tasks that you cannot afford to do wrong, ask yourself, 'What could possibly go wrong and how could I face it?'. Have a plan B to back you up in those times.
4. Prioritize: Importance and Urgency
Prioritizing is so, so crucial because with just some clever prioritization, you can do exponentially better.
According to the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
Which means, the first things you would study should be 20 per cent of the total syllabus that would bring 80 percent benefit. I cannot stress how important it is to channel your focus in the right direction by distinguishing what is more important. It can mean the largest difference in your overall progress.
Sometimes the most urgent task is not always the most important task. Just because its deadline is nearer doesn't mean that it deserves more of your attention right now.
5. Keep One Entire Day Study-Free
It is a healthy practice to keep at least one day free of any studies so that you can completely recharge and spend the time for other activities and hobbies that you're interested in.
I usually keep Thursdays for watching movies or going out somewhere or just do whatever entertains me.
This makes me refreshed to study even better the next day. Abstinence from something can also do some good.
6. Don't buy into the lies about how much you should study
Everybody's capabilities and learning speeds are different. Each one of us take different amounts of time to consolidate the matter we have learnt.
It's definitely not anybody's fault that they grasp material at a different pace. And that's not wrong either.
Never buy into the lie that you should study for 10 hours a day or whatever fixed study routine, expecting an easy way out.
Fixed study routines will never work for everybody. Some people just need more time to understand concepts.
Some extraordinary students might be able to study effortlessly for examinations within a few hours and some may take days to do the very same thing.
So don't go ahead and believe in it without even trying it out. Like I mentioned earlier, experimentation is key in discovering your perfect study routine.
7. Develop Critical and Creative Thinking Skills by Creating and not Consuming
Don't study too much! Spend some time for activities that contribute to your studying process indirectly by improving your critical and creative thinking skills.
Let's go a little deeper into that.
Certain creative activities such as regular habit of writing, creating graphics or videos or anything that can provoke your creative juices is a great hustle to do side-by-side with studies.
I like to compare creative juices with cream. When cream is churned, it gives you butter but when it is left idle outside, it curdles and spoils.
Similarly, creative juices need to be worked out once in a while so that they produce new ideas, otherwise it becomes useless.
The point is that your brain should have a creative mood that fabricates new ideas and develop them. That's what happens when you do art, such as making music or dance choreography or painting and crafting.
This can be a vital skill to have in some fields that require a large pot of inventiveness.
Another tip that most of us could use is to reduce 'consuming' other people's social media feeds (and envying them), movies and YouTube videos.
Firstly, scrolling through others social media feeds do very little to enhance your abilities in any way. Secondly, by indulging in creative activities more and relying on them more for your source of enjoyment, you inculcate healthier and more difficult ways to feel happy.
You must be thinking, why should happiness be acquired with such difficulty when you can easily watch the latest movies on Netflix to pass away a couple hours?
It's because happiness which is earned through greater effort tends to last longer and is much more memorable. That's how gardening is so popular nowadays during lock-down. Even reading is another great habit to inculcate. See
How to Develop a Reading Habit in 3 Steps.
Lastly, let's talk about critical thinking skills. They help you grasp topics better and broaden your vision on various subjects. You would have a better understanding and idea of what a concept is all about.
I am a part of the debating club and debating is a sport that requires you to think on your feet and improvise within short periods of time. A lot of analysis goes into preparing for a debate and exposure to different aspects of the same subject comes in very handy.
Answering Some Frequently Asked Questions
Let's look at some of the most common questions that arise when we talk of study routines.
Should I study more to study better?
There is a false belief that studying effectively means studying even more. Studying for long periods of time at a stretch is exhausting, and is a grave mistake that you should not fall into.
Once you push yourself to the deep end, you are likely to drown. It's something that can contaminate your study ethic and motivation to study. It's called 'exhaustion' or 'burnout'.
Moreover, it can also decrease your productivity due to lack of necessary breaks.
Moreover, monotonous continuous study routines should instead be interrupted by other activities that you enjoy doing.
How much should I study in a day?
Once you Google search this question, you would see many results saying 4-5 hours or 6 hours. But the truth is, there is no such fixed amount of time that you should be studying in a day.
For people who manage a part-time job, studying for 3 hours or so is more than enough.
On the contrary, some might find the same too little to cover everything properly. It is highly subjective and not the same for everyone.
Again, experimentation is your best friend when it comes to find the study routine that suits you.
How to deal with study stress?
Now, there are so many medications and practices and what-not to help you deal with general stress.
But there is something nobody tells you and that is - all the strength you could possibly need to fight exam stress is within you.
Honestly, I have been in a place where exams are just a week away and I couldn't complete preparations.
But I still like to believe that I will be able to finish all the things that have to get done regardless of the new assignments that my heartless teachers keep posting and the pending ones from months ago.
I also know that there is no use of worrying over it, because I will be just wasting time and mental 'space', if that makes sense. There is so much more that is worth occupying your mind than needless tension.
So, get over it.
Even if you do come across a hurdle and cannot get over the thought of failing to meet your self-appointed expectations, let me tell you that stress is a natural response to extraordinary circumstances that helps you perform better.
Humans have the exceptional capability to react to such situations with the help of stress. It makes you mentally and physically pumped to face whatever may come.
That's why your heart beats much faster when you're stressed, to pump blood to prepare the body.
Secondly, some stress is good for you. Small doses of regular stress is healthier than no stress at all and also a lot safer than too much stress.
I hope that is enough to calm your nerves next time you are hit by stress.
There is no such thing as a perfect study routine because it always fails occasionally for everyone. I frequently have burnouts at least once every fortnight and it is so frustrating to deal with. But there is still some beauty to it. Sometimes the mind itself finds its own ways to battle for some peace.
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