How to Study Smartly: 15 Study Habits for Maximum Productivity

Studying is a crucial part of our lives. It is a vehicle for reaching our academic or skill development goals.

Unfortunately, many people do not get good study outcomes despite many hours of studying. To improve results, some study harder by increasing study sessions and pouring more time into studying. But, most often than not, studying harder does not result in any significant improvement in study outcomes.

The solution to getting better grades and other positive study outcomes is to study smarter, not harder. Studying smartly also makes learning seem effortless and even enjoyable.

How do you study smartly? This article will discuss fourteen study habits that help you study smartly and optimize productivity.

These study habits include:

1. Create a study schedule
2. Avoid distractions
3. Pay attention during classes
4. Take notes when learning
5. Space out your studying
6. Take regular breaks during study sessions
7. Learn the same information in different ways
8. Study multiple subjects each day
9. Review what you learn periodically
10. Test yourself
11. Use active reading
12. Create road maps
13. Teach someone else what you learn
14. Connect with other people
15. Take care of your health.

1. Create a study schedule

A study schedule (or study plan) is a time management tool that keeps you on track and ensures you do everything required to get good study results.

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It means if you do not plan for something (whatever it is), you cannot have ultimate success in it. Thus, if you do not create a study plan (and stick with it), you will not likely have good study outcomes.

A great study schedule outlines study times and learning objectives.

The first element of a study plan is “study times.” Planning starts with blocking out periods of time within your schedule to study. It is not enough to say, “I’ll study three times a week.” What days of the week and what time of the day will that be?

Determining specific study times helps you align your studies with other commitments (work, chores, hobbies, etc.). You can move other activities/ tasks to other times, helping you control your distractions.

Another element of an effective study plan is “learning objectives.” After determining the study times, ensure you incorporate tests, key assignments, deadlines, and other obligations. Determine how much you’ll want to cover in a period and when to do reviews and test yourself.

For example, having to study a calculus textbook can seem overwhelming. But with appropriate planning, you can commit to studying one chapter of the material in a week. This breaks down the “seemingly overwhelming task” into smaller manageable chunks. As you study, you can begin to tick off accomplishments one by one, motivating you to go on.

Know that even the best plans will not improve your study outcomes if you do not stick to them. While it may seem odd initially, it’ll feel normal after about two weeks.

When it’s study time, make sure you study. Don’t let anything more “enticing” rob you of the time dedicated to studying. However, this doesn’t mean that plans should be inflexible.

If you have pressing needs or don’t feel like it, you may tweak plans (reduce the length of study sessions, change the time for a session, etc.). If you still lack the motivation to study or are not getting desired results, you may re-evaluate your plans.

2. Avoid distractions

A distraction is anything that can prevent you from paying attention, thereby preventing you from understanding or retaining what you are learning. Thus, avoiding distractions helps you concentrate on your studies for better results.

Distractions can be divided into two broad categories – internal and external.

Avoiding internal distractions

A study plan and a positive mindset can help you avoid internal distractions.

Internal distractions come from your own thoughts and emotions. These include thoughts about pressing responsibilities, more enticing activities, and fears/ worries.

A study plan can help you avoid many distracting thoughts. By scheduling time for every task, you’ll be assured that other responsibilities/ activities will not suffer because of your study time. This puts your mind at ease while you study.

Having a positive mindset is another way to avoid distractions (emotional distractions). If you have personal struggles, you may be unable to study, or you may be unable to learn and retain anything.

Thinking positively helps you beat anxiety, worries, and fears. When negative thoughts creep up in your mind, do not let them run wild. But arrest them and replace them with positive, reassuring thoughts.

For example, if you have thoughts like, “I may be unable to understand this,” replace it with a positive thought like, “Others have done it before, and they don’t have two heads. So I can do it.”

Writing about your feelings can also help you avoid emotional distractions. In one study,?students who wrote down their feelings about an upcoming exam performed better than those who didn’t.

The researchers explained that writing gave those students an opportunity to release the distracting emotions, allowing them to concentrate better when studying.

Avoiding external distractions

External distractions are things that originate outside of you that can prevent you from concentrating when studying. These can come from an uncomfortable study area, background noise, technology, etc.

Some ways to avoid external distractions include:

• Choose a conducive study area. For example, you may not study effectively if your study space is too hot, cold, or noisy. Plan to study in a space with the right conditions for you to do so.
• Keep the study area clutter-free.?Disorganization drains our cognitive resources?by reducing our working memory. This leads to an inability to focus effectively.?
• Keep electronic devices away. Turn off your phone when studying and put it away. At the very least, silence the phone and turn off all notifications. Do not make the mistake of pausing to check and reply to messages when reading. It breaks your focus and reduces your productivity.

Keep reading here...