Whether you’re in high school, or an adult going back to college, balancing coursework with other responsibilities can be challenging. If you’re teetering on the edge of burnout, here are some study tips that are scientifically proven to help you succeed!
1. Highlight Key Concepts
Looking for the most important information as you read helps you stay engaged with the material. This can help keep your mind from wandering as you read. As you find important details, mark them with a highlighter, or underline them. It can also be effective to jot notes along the edges of the text.
2. Summarize Important Details
Consider using different colors on your paper. Research shows that information presented in color is more memorable than things written in plain type. You could use colored pens or go over your words with highlighters.
3. Create Your Own Flashcards
The great thing about flashcards is that they’re easily portable. Slip them in your bag, so you can pull them out whenever you have a spare minute. This is a fantastic way to squeeze in extra practice time outside of your regularly scheduled study sessions.
4. Improve Recall with Association
Sometimes your brain could use an extra hand to help you hold onto the information that you’re studying. Creating imaginary pictures, crafting word puzzles or doing other mental exercises can help make your material easier to remember.
5. Absorb Information in Smaller Chunks
You divide the 10-digit number into three smaller groups. It’s easier to get these three chunks to stick in your mind than it is to remember the whole thing as a single string of information. You can use this strategy when studying by breaking a list down into smaller parts. Work on memorizing each part as its own group.
6. Make Your Own Study Sheet
Condensing your most important notes onto one page is an excellent way to keep priority information at your fingertips. The more you look over this sheet and read it aloud, the better that you’ll know the material. Furthermore, the act of typing or writing out the information will help you memorize the details. Using different colors or lettering styles can help you picture the information later.
7. Be the Teacher
In fact, you can even recruit a friend, a family member or a study group member to listen to your mini-lesson. Reciting your presentation aloud to someone else will help the details stick in your mind, and your audience may be able to point out gaps in your knowledge.
8. Know When to Call It a Day
Studies show that too much time with your nose in the books can elevate your stress level, which can have a negative effect on your school performance and your personal relationships. Too much studying may also keep you from getting enough exercise. This could lower your bone density or increase your percentage of body fat.
