Study Less, Study Smarter
By Grace Carballo ‘17
Now that I’m ~almost~ a senior in college, I can truthfully say I’ve done my fair share of studying in my day. Some of it was productive, some of it was fueled by procrastination, some of it was downright intolerable, but it doesn’t have to be. As I begin my midterms this semester in Argentina, I’d obviously rather be doing something else, but at least I feel like I know how to prepare and tackle the tasks at hand. This ain’t my first rodeo.
If, however, you’re a freshman and still figuring study strategies out or maybe even an upperclassmen who has a harder course load and hasn’t had to study this much before, allow me to divulge a few of the habits that work for me so you can try them on for size.
1) Dress for Success
Whatever that might mean to you. I have some friends that wear sweatpants exclusively during finals week and others who cannot feel productive or confident unless they are wearing jeans. I tend to lean more towards the comfort-over-everything approach but to each his/her own, ya know?
What I wouldn’t recommend is studying in your pajamas because if you’re in a sleep mindset odds are good you’ll fall promptly asleep.
Look good, feel good, test good well.
2) Take Breaks
You’re not a machine and you can’t expect yourself to study all your waking hours. No matter how great your work ethic, you need to take breaks. In fact, I’ve found that schedule breaks enhance my focus while I study and are both motivational and refreshing.
Trust me when I say studying for say 3 sessions of 45 min of focused work with 15 minute breaks for in between feels a whole lot better than 6 hours of half-hearted, distracted by social media, bored and frustrated hours in the library. And you’ll probably get just as much done if not more!
Depending where you study your breaks could be a quick walk, watching a funny sketch, eating a snack, or maybe arranging an hourly dance break amongst your study buddies. A good 4-5 minute song can really get the blood pumpin to your brain.
3) Plan Ahead (Realistically)
People organize in different ways but I love a good to-do list. I also often make a study calendar (see image below) where I first write in all the things I have to do (exam times, review sessions, last club/org meetings, work, etc.) It can be very helpful to visualize how much (or little) time you actually have in which you could study.
Be realistic with it, though. If you aren’t a morning person, you probably shouldn’t schedule your studying to start at 8 AM because you’ll feel stressed and behind already when you wake up at 9:30. Don’t forget to give yourself breaks for exercise, meals, sleep, and social interactions. I can’t overemphasize how human we all are with needs that must be met.
4) SLEEP!
I’ve never pulled an all-nighter but I’ve come pretty close and let me assure you that the last few hours finishing that paper I was barely functioning. There comes a point where you just have to call it a night and for me, that point is probably midnight.
For your physical and mental health, and to make your actual studying more productive, allow yourself at least 6 hours a night and probably 7.5-8 if you can swing it. I’m at my best with 9 but we can’t all value sleep as much as I do.
Though it may seem counterproductive to stop studying in order to sleep, you will retain so much more if you are well-rested. This blog post might as well be titled Study Less, Sleep More, Study Better but that’s a little wordy for my taste.
5) Remove Distractions!
Being abroad has made my social media dependence even stronger. It’s like I think maintaining a strong facebook presence will keep me from being forgotten back in the EEUU, but what it actually does is prevent me from getting anything productive done anytime I have wifi access.
If you’re prone to distractions, the best thing you can do for yourself and your studying is eliminate the temptation. I just deactivated my facebook (don’t worry I made sure that when I return my profile will still be there) and don’t bring my phone with me when I go to study in cafes or libraries. Trust me when I say no snapchat story is that well-crafted that you can’t miss it.
If you need quiet, take advantage of the libraries we have on campus. Plus you’ll be motivated to stay on task because no one wants to be “that guy” on facebook in the library during finals week.
To get in the zone, I’m partial to the bumpin tunes of “Music to Enhance Concentration”, conveniently found on YouTube and I often use my “Beats by CVS” to prevent my peers from interacting with me.
6) Motivation
Whatever gets you through the day is what you need to reward yourself with after a hard day (or several) of studying. Finally watching the Game of Thrones episodes or Broad City finale, perhaps?
If my landlord hadn’t agreed to let my roommates and I paint a mural on the terrace this Sunday after we finish parciales, I would’ve quit the study game long ago.
Find something to get you through the tough times and never let it go.
7) Drink Water!
Once upon a time I was drinking up to four cups of coffee a day. One finals season I even took to eating espresso beans covered in dark chocolate, which was bitter and bold, to match my personality at the time.
I was also really big on bullet-proof coffee which is when you mix in coconut oil because it’s good for you and Jimmy Fallon does it and short story long I was drinking copious amounts of caffeine.
The problem is eventually your body gets accustomed to that much caffeine and one cup or two cups won’t even wake you up anymore.
I still drink coffee sometimes and tea on the regular, but the best study drink for me is one that is hugely underrated in our society, water.
If you’re drinking a glass every hour or so, you’re going to be super hydrated and alert. Plus, as an added incentive, drinking that much water forces you to get up and go to the bathroom, which keeps you moving around and awake as well.
8) Study Buddies
Study with people who inspire you to greatness and bring out the best in you. To this day, my favorite people to study with are my freshman year roommate and our floormate because they keep me accountable, are super hardworking, and offer the perfect balance of encouragement and shared misery.
No one wants to study with someone who is always complaining nor someone who continuously interrupting you to show you mediocrely funny videos of Game of Thrones summaries (too specific?) nor someone who “doesn’t really need to study”.
Find people like I have been lucky enough to find who will study in solidarity, sharing snacks when you’re hungry, taking photos when you look miserable, and watching your computer when you go to print. That’s friendship.
9) Sweat First
Even if you sweat while you’re study, it’s better to get your heart pumping and blood flowing before you’re sitting hunched over notes or your laptop all day. Exercise has positive affects on the brain! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and also scientists have said it so take our word for it.
I don’t think I’ve ever taken a test, including the ACT back in the day, without running before it, because it really does clear my mind and wake me up.
Whatever your exercise of choice, use it as a warmup for your test and/or as a study break during your long days of prep.
10) Prepare for the Worst, Expect the Best
I’ve gone to easy exams over-prepared and I’ve gone to hard exams under-prepared and I can tell you, without hesitation, the former is a whole lot better. Exams change from semester to semester and everyone learns differently so simply because your brother’s friend’s roommate took the same GE as you and said the final was “so easy” does not mean you should not prepare for it.
Good luck and don’t fret! You can always do more than you think you can and your best is always good enough. (life lessons from my cross-country coach)
Just control what you can control! Now that you’ve read this whole thing log off Facebook and definitely steer clear of Tumblr it can lure you in for hours.
Study on,
Grace Carballo ‘17
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