Top Study Habits That Will Transform Your Learning Experience

If you’re studying, then you’ll want to get the maximum possible return from every moment you spend engaged with your chosen subject. That means, in short, developing the right habits – the ones that will result in the greatest possible improvement in skill development and information retention, and that will keep your stress levels in check throughout your studies.

Develop these habits early in your life, and you’ll enjoy the rewards for years to come – even after you’ve progressed beyond your formal education.

Build a Consistent Study Routine

The practice of ‘cramming’ for an exam isn’t effective. If you work for thirty minutes each day for a week, then you’ll retain more information than you would if you worked for three hours at the weekend. The brain actually does much of its learning in between study sessions, mostly as you sleep. Thus, a bit-by-bit approach, which allows time for recovery, is best.

Getting into a routine often requires a bit of advance planning. Set yourself a target for each week, and then break that into daily objectives. Put it all down on a spreadsheet, and use a free cloud storage service so that you can access it any time, from your phone or your laptop.

As you progress, and become more familiar with your own quirks as a student, don’t be afraid to tweak your plan so that it really works for you.

Create an Effective Study Environment

The right study environment is one that’s comfortable and distraction-free. If you’re using a computer, then be sure to block any distracting websites, like TikTok and YouTube.

Keep your desk tidy, and your work organized into folders and drawers. Make sure that you have a physical stopwatch available, so that you can do timed ‘pomodoro’ study sessions. Finally, it’s worth noting that, when it comes to information retention, pen-and-paper notes are typically superior to typed or dictated ones.

Take Regular Breaks and Prioritise Wellbeing

The aforementioned ‘pomodoro’ technique requires that active study sessions be bookended by periods of rest. This is a feature common to many effective study strategies. If you don’t enjoy the right downtime, you won’t be able to take on board what you’re learning. You might meditate, or simply go for a walk, to keep yourself focused.

The quality of your sleep matters, too. Make sure that you take sleep hygiene seriously, and that you cut down on your consumption of coffee late into the afternoon.

Use Active Learning Techniques

Simply writing down notes isn’t enough to truly internalise a given concept or set of principles. For best results, you’ll need to learn it to the point that you can confidently explain the subject to another person. Group study sessions and discussions can be helpful for this reason, as can flashcards. Be aware that different subjects might require different techniques; don’t be afraid to devise your own!