“Being a student is easy. Learning requires actual work.” — William Crawford

The key to becoming an effective student is learning to study smarter, not harder.

To do well, you have to start developing good study habits. It may take approximately one month to get into a routine before it becomes second nature.

Here are some tips that help you be efficient when studying.

1– Time periods

Don’t attempt to cram all your studying into one session.

Space their work out over shorter periods and rarely try to cram all of their studying into just one or two sessions. 

You need to learn to be consistent in your studies and to have regular, yet shorter, study periods.

2– Plan when you’re going to study

Schedule specific times throughout the week when you are going to study — and stick with your schedule. 

Even if you’re all caught up with your studies, create a weekly routine where you set aside a few days or weeks to review your courses.

3– Study at the same time

It is important to create a consistent, daily study routine. When you study simultaneously, your studying will become a regular part of your life. You’ll be mentally prepared for each study session, and each study session will become more productive. It is ok to change your schedule but get back on your routine as soon as possible. 

4– Each study time should have a specific goal

Simply studying without direction is not practical. You need to know precisely what you need to accomplish during each study session. Before you start studying, set a study session goal that supports your overall academic goal (i.e. memorize 25 vocabulary words to ace the vocabulary section on an upcoming German test.)

5– Start with the most difficult subject first

As your most challenging assignment or subject will require the most effort and mental energy, you should start with it first. Once you’ve completed the most challenging work, completing the rest of your work will be much easier. Believe it or not, starting with the most difficult subject will significantly improve your study sessions’ effectiveness and academic performance.

6– Make sure you’re not distracted while you’re studying

Before studying, find a place you won’t be disturbed or distracted. For some people, this is a quiet cubicle in the recesses of the library. For others, it is in a common area with little background noise.

7– Review your notes before starting an assignment.

Always make sure to take good notes in class. Before you start each study session and a particular assignment, review your notes thoroughly to ensure you know how to complete the assignment correctly. Reviewing your notes before each study session will help you remember important subject matter learned during the day and ensure your studying is targeted and effective.

8– Never procrastinate your planned study session

It’s effortless and common to put off your study session because of a lack of interest in the subject, because you have other things you need to get done, or because the assignment is challenging. Procrastination leads to rushing, which is the number one cause of errors. If you procrastinate your study session, your studying will become much less effective, and you may not accomplish everything you need.

WEEKLY VOCABULARY 🗣

📌Frustrating: causing annoyance or upset because of an inability to change or achieve something.

📌Accomplished: highly trained or skilled.

📌Effective: not characterized by or conducive to health or moral well-being.

📌Assignment: a task or piece of work assigned to someone as part of a job or course of study.

📌Routine: a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.

PHRASAL VERBS ✍

📌Brush up (on): to improve something that you previously knew, to try and make it a little better or just to refresh your memory.

“If you want to brush up on your English, you can listen to some previous recordings of my podcasts.”

📌Piece together something: to assemble the pieces of something, such as a jigsaw puzzle.

“Don’t worry, I’ll piece together a notebook for the new student.”

IDIOMS 📒

📌Can’t make heads or tails of it: do not understand something, or become confused by something.

📌Pick his brain: ask questions of someone to learn more about a subject that he knows better than you.

Related Articles:

📌How to be an Active Listener https://www.englishpriority.com/how-to-be-an-active-listener/

📌Learner Autonomy https://www.englishpriority.com/learner-autonomy/

📌Realistic and Practical New Year’s Goals  https://www.englishpriority.com/types-of-motivation-to-achieve-your-goals/

Want to practice even more?…