January 12th, 2022
David Peachment
More Study Hacks
Studying can be challenging and time-consuming. Hours and hours spent pouring over pages, articles, videos, and talks to learn and grow your skills and knowledge. Our hopes often rest on us passing the next test for our degree or getting the next certification for our career. There can be a lot of pressure to perform well. Today, I hope to take off some of that pressure. In this blog post, I want to detail some more study hacks to get you started on the right foot and make your learning process a little easier. If you want to check out our first study hacks blog, click HERE! But without further ado, let’s get into some more tips and tricks for studying!
Picking the Right Tools
One of the first steps to studying well is to pick the right tools for the job. This means several different things. First, are you using paper methods, electronic, or a combination of both? Are you studying from a book and taking notes on paper? Or are you reading online articles and writing out notes on Word? Take some time to figure out the best course of action for you. Do you need to take these notes with you on the go? Then writing them down on a Google Doc or the note app Evernote can allow you to access what you’ve written from anywhere! Do you read better with some music playing? Try setting up a playlist of calming and relaxing music that can help get you into the studying zone without distracting you from jamming along or from switching songs. Some great suggestions include classical music like Beethoven or Bach (which several studies have shown improves relaxation and focus.)
You’ll also need to ensure you can keep yourself properly engaged. There is nothing worse than studying material, but you are bored out of your mind. Some creative methods for doing this include using different ways to make the studying more exciting. Examples include:
Colour-coded flashcards.
Setting up short breaks to refresh your mind.
Change up your learning materials by switching from video to paper or audio-only.
Switching between writing notes and drawing out concepts.
Have a little fun with drawing concepts by colouring them in!
Whatever you do, consider what tools you’ll need to have a successful study session and what will help you in the long run. Picking your note-taking method/app, selecting music to play (if any), and keeping yourself engaged will all help you immensely during your studying.
Up Your Group Learning Game
If you decide to learn with a group, there are a few ways to spice up group sessions. Since there can be many people chatting and making noise, studying together can sometimes be detrimental. But ensuring everyone is staying on track is key. One way to do that is to have one or two people in your group set up a Kahoot trivia contest. Include questions from whatever you’re learning and compete to see who can get the highest score! This will make studying so much more fun, and Kahoot is a free program. Don’t have study partners? Get a friend or loved one to quickly set up some questions to test you on. Then you can compete against yourself.
Figure Out Your Learning Method
The final hack I want to discuss is to figure out your preferred learning style. Are you a visual or auditory learner? Do you require hands-on to learn, or is reading and writing enough? Understanding this can make your life so much easier! It will dictate the best ways to learn. For example, I am a visual learner, so what works best for me is interesting graphics, drawing and writing out concepts, and watching videos discussing the subjects I need to know. For auditory learners, they’ll be better suited for hearing their information. Listening to podcasts, repeating what they’ve read aloud, and maybe recording audio notes instead of writing it down. To figure out your learning style, go onto Google and search Vark Questionnaire. This is a free and simple test to understand what kind of learner you are. Once you’ve figured it out, you’ll be well on your way to crafting the ultimate learning environment!
I hope all of this information will help you in your quest for knowledge. Choosing your note-taking method, ensuring you’re engaged, making group sessions fun, and understanding how you learn are all fantastic ways to improve your studying. Add in a little hard work, and you’ll pass and learn in no time at all!
Until next time,
David Peachment