Studying should not be a haphazard, hit-or-miss, project. Good study habits dictate that your schedule should be routine. Many experts agree that to achieve productivity your schedule must become routine. Setting aside specific blocks of time, segmented of course, each day is a powerful way to assure productive study time. Don't overlook the power of routine. I advise that you consider these six factors as you craft your study schedule.
Always Study when you are at Your Best
Honestly determine when you are at your best. Is it in the morning? The afternoon? The evening? Are you limited to peak performance at a particular time of day or can you honestly say that you have more than one peak period? Peak performance time is a matter of individual preference. Your personal routine may be to sleep late but study late into the night. Or you may be one of those who wakes at the crack of dawn and is immediately ready to go but can't keep your eyes open at night. Learning to recognize your peak times and then budgeting your major studying efforts for that time frame is what this is all about.
Think About your Sleep Habits
When do you get up in the morning? Is it before the alarm goes off? If you are like me, you get up at the same time each morning without exception. Do you head to bed at about the same time every night? Is it about the same time every night? It is clear that your sleep habits have a powerful influence on when you are most productive during your day. If you normally go to bed at, say, 11:30 PM, then trying to study at 1:30 AM is not ideal. If you normally arise at 7:00 AM then trying to work earlier than that robs you of focus. Work your studying into your normal sleep patterns for maximum efficiency.
Study When You Can (Outside of Planned Study Time)
Your study routine is well established but you find yourself with downtime from time-to-time. This down-time presents an ideal opportunity to do a little review, start reading a required chapter, or simply do an assigned task that doesn't require your best effort.
When Allocating Study Time, Think about how Complex the Assignment Is
Clearly, studying is affected by just how complex or difficult the assignment is. For example, if you read at the rate of about a minute per page with comprehension, don't budget 30 minutes for a 100 page reading assignment. It is just unrealistic. In short, be realistic about your capacity to accomplish a task and allocate a reasonable amount of time for the task.
Do Your Easy Tasks in Non-Prime Time
Do you think it wise to use down-time to work on a project that is nothing but trouble for you? I don't think so. Save those projects for your peak time. The tasks that are simple, repetitive or don't require massive concentration can be done in other than peak times.
The Ideal Times for Studying May Be Immediately After or Immediately Before Class
It works this way. Because memory fades rather rapidly, immediately after class your memory of the material covered is at its absolute peak. You can use that to better internalize what was covered in class that day. It may help to meet with classmates to study immediately after class. If that is not possible, then studying immediately before class triggers memory that prepares you for class at that moment.
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Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. .. We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.
(Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, On Philosophy of Education)
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