Study Tips! What I’ve Learned and What I Recommend

Hi there! I was writing all of my study tips and organisation methods for myself, to see what was working and what needed changing. In doing that I realised that this was information that might be useful to some others. Therefore, I decided to make my tips into an article for others to read. Hopefully, these methods I’ve picked up on will be beneficial to you in some way.

Tip 1: Develop a study schedule/plan

In order to know what to study and what course guidelines and deadlines there are, go through the syllabus or course guide provided and form your study plan based on that. Course guides often have average hours needed to spend on that course, along with course topics and deadlines. Through this, you can add important deadlines to your calendar and use the course topics as a base of what you’ll study each week.

Through your calendar, you will see how busy or available you generally are and you can then form your study schedule based on that. I have a weekly timetable stating the days and times I will be studying and at the start of each week, I use my google calendar to make sure I can still study at all the times on my schedule. If something new has come up- like an online meeting I have to attend or a zoom lime (oh the COVID times we live in)- I will adjust my schedule to suit.

Then, in my bullet journal, I write out exactly what I want to study for the next day (more on this in tip# 2). This would include the topic I’m studying, my learning goals for that topic, and the different learning methods I would be using for that day. Sometimes, throughout the week I switch things around and do a different learning method from what was originally planned, but the idea is to give yourself a base or foundation that you can build upon or adjust as you see fit.

Tip 2: To-Do Lists!

So, along with the study schedule and calendar, the other thing I would recommend is to-do lists! My studying to-do list is done in a bullet journal. I write the date, hours I’ve spent studying, and type of work that I plan to attempt in a table format. Each day (or sometimes the day before) I write what tasks I aim to complete, for instance, I may write:

Monday 14th Dec 2020 — 7:00 am- 8:00 am — annotate lecture notes, start course reading, write practice essay, and make flashcards.

As I complete each activity, I tick or cross it off the list.

Your to-do list- whether digital or paper-based- is all about knowing what tasks you need to get done, so as long as it’s doing that, great. You don’t necessarily need to do it the way I do but whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s helping you actually get stuff done.

Oftentimes, people put down too many things in their to-do lists and are only able to cross out a small number of tasks. I’d like to make it very clear that I have definitely done this before and it still happens sometimes. But that’s ok! What’s important, is that you tailor your to-do lists in the future so that it becomes more realistic of what you can actually accomplish in one day. This brings us to tip #3…

Tip 3: Adjust as you go!

It’s important to be adaptable, maybe an app isn’t working for you- try a new one! Or try a bullet journal. It’s important to recognise when something you’re using isn’t working for you anymore and that you need to switch things up. And a good way of knowing what’s working and what’s not is by looking back at the prior week of work and examining what aided you and what hindered you.

So, adjust as you go. Sometimes this means simply exploring more of what the application you’re already using has to offer or adjusting how you structure your to-do lists. Structure your day on how best you can effectively learn. Focus on the quality of the goals you have, rather than getting a million things done in one day. If you’re a bit flexible in how you work and adjust as you go, you leave room for exciting things to happen! Learning can be fun, and great things can be discovered or found when you create an environment that is structured but creatively fulfilling.

Tip 4: Study methods!

In terms of actual study methods, I utilise a lot of active learning methods. So, I’ll just list them out below:

• Annotation: So, when I read lecture notes, the recommended readings, and my additional readings, I highlight and write notes.
• I use flashcards a lot (I’ve used both digital and regular paper-based cards).
• The subjects I’ve studied are heavy on the essays so I do a lot of practice questions from the study guide, textbook, or some other resource.
• Odd as it may sound, I talk to myself a lot. I like to pretend that I have a presentation to give and that the persons I’m talking to know nothing about the topic I’m teaching on. This forces me to be as clear as possible and tells me if I really know my work or not. You can also do this by forcing your parents, friends, or roommates to be the audience you give this unofficial presentation to.
• Besides the textbooks, lesson slides, and journal articles given by the lecturer, there are additional articles I or my classmates may find and use to help better understand topics. Youtube videos are also great with this.
• In terms of note-taking, I tend to write my notes by hand. I just write what seems especially important or fundamental to whatever topic we’re doing instead of writing all the information given.
• If the lecturer has the slides online before the class, I try to look at the notes beforehand (even if just a brief read through!). This also helps me know what not to write in the actual class so I can just take note of the additional things the lecturer has said.
• Mind maps and other graphics help me to see connections between different points or topics so I tend to make those a lot.

Tip 5: You can use apps but don’t overdo it.

In this technology-driven age we exist in, there are a lot of different tools that can help you learn. I’m going to share some of them but won’t be sharing every single app or website simply because I’d rather you not have information overload. Of course, if the tools I’ve suggested for you don’t work, there will still be lots of other options to try.

• Youtube- some great educational channels are: KhanAcademy, CrashCourse, and SciShow
• Forest is a great productivity application that you can set up to block certain websites while you’re studying so you don’t get distracted. It uses the Pomodoro method where you focus on a task for 25 minutes and then get a 5-minute break. You can adjust the Forest timer to go for longer if you wish.
• Google calendar- you can use this to add course deadlines, and your own personal events and activities.
• Weava- this is the app I use to highlight and annotate my notes.
• Grammarly- this is great when writing essays as it highlights any grammatical errors while you type.
• Todoist, Google Keep- these are to-do list apps. I actually use Todoist for my general tasks (and my bullet journal for school-related tasks).
• Google Drive- to store your documents and quickly access them. Sidenote- please name and file your digital folders properly, it makes life so much easier. Future you will definitely thank you.

Tip 6: Do things in chunks/a little goes a long way

Just take things one step at a time…there’s no need to rush (thank you Jordan Sparks). Sometimes we can get so overwhelmed with all the work that we have, that we end up doing nothing because we don’t even know where to start. But, corny though it may sound, life is a journey. It’s about the small steps taken that lead to you winning the race, not simply the act of winning the race.

You can’t win the race if you haven’t even started. There’s a great African proverb my mother likes to say that really applies here, “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That’s all you can do. Keep walking. Keep learning. Keep adapting. And keep growing. Some days you will get a lot done, and some days seemingly everything will go wrong, but you keep walking. Sometimes, it’s a small step, sometimes a leap- what’s important, is that movement takes place.

(hopefully, that was actually helpful and not incredibly corny or at least, actually helpful and incredibly corny)

Tip 7: Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

It’s easy (or at least easy for me) to feel like adulting means being independent and not relying on anyone and just being completely self-sufficient when…that’s really just not true. Real adulthood is knowing we can’t do this on our own. Humans need each other and there is nothing wrong with asking for help. It’s normal and essential that we help each other in order to function and be better.

So, it’s good to work with others. Try to make friends with your classmates! I know that’s easier said than done, but it definitely helps to have classmates to study and collaborate with. Even if, somehow, every single person in your class is a trash monster, you can find other ways to work with people. Whether that’s asking someone who has done the course before for advice or speaking to tutors and lecturers about any concerns or thoughts you have. Reach out and get the help that you need. You can’t do it all by yourself.

Working together brings collaboration which leads to beautiful ideas coming forth. Also, you’ll be making a friend, which is always nice! (stop shaking your head introverts, you like people sometimes).

Tip 8: Stay Balanced

This isn’t as much a study tip as it is a life tip but, stay balanced! Education is important but should not be the only thing in your life that you do or focus on. Remember to make time for:

• Sleep!
• Family!
• Friends!
• Exercise!
• Food!
• Hobbies!

Et cetera, et cetera.

The point is, be balanced. Have a life outside of school! Your health should be a priority. I know the education system is generally not as fair and balanced as it could be, but please, be kind to yourself. Maybe you’ll have a day where everything goes wrong and you can’t study at all. You’re human, it happens. Take a breather and when you can, try again.

Hope my advice has been useful to you in some way!

If you have any study tips and words of wisdom for students, please share them, have a great day!