TIPS FOR A PRODUCTIVE STUDY DAY:
Find a good place to study: somewhere light, quiet, busy, spacious, cosy, alone, with friends …whatever works for you. Take time to learn what kind of environment you work best in. Try and put your technology aside. If you’re always on your phone, turn it off and put it in your bag, if you’re finding the internet distracting, download “Pomodoro” (an app which blocks sites like facebook, twitter etc for a set period of time).
Figure out when you’re most productive: if it’s in the morning, get up earlier and spend a few hours solidly working, if it’s in evening, make sure you set some time aside to focus. For me, I work best between 8am-1pm, then I normally take a few hours off, and if I have a lot to do I’ll head back to the library between 4-8pm. Finding the time when your mind is at its most alert can have a huge impact on your studies and will mean you avoid spending hours being unproductive.
Decide what you’re going to do before you start: if you have lots of different things to do, decide which one you’re going to focus on before you sit down. This will prevent you from panicking and trying to do everything at once, which will only make you feel stressed and unproductive.
Set realistic goals: don’t try and be overambitious with what you want to achieve that day. If you set yourself unrealistic goals, you’ll only finish the day feeling like you’ve failed. Set yourself a number of small, manageable tasks to work through, then if you are able to do more it will make you feel a lot more productive.
Start with the hard stuff: tackle the big problems first. Things will feel easier in the first few hours of studying when your mind is most awake, so it’s important to start with the trickier things first. This way, when you hit a wall you can work through a few of the smaller, easier tasks and still feel like you’re getting stuff done.
Remember to keep refuelling: get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, bring snacks, treat yourself to a nice lunch, take frequent breaks, walk around and go outside if you can. If you are planning to spend a long time studying it’s important to keep your energy levels up.
Plan something for the end of the day: even if it’s just going to the gym, making a nice meal, or going for a drink with your friends, give yourself something to look forward to at the end of a long day studying.
Remember why you’re doing this: is it to get into university or just because you’re passionate about your subject? By linking something difficult to something you care about, it makes it easier to stay focused and keep going.
Not every day can be productive: if things aren’t happening that day keep trying for a while and if you’re still feeling stuck do something else. There’s no point sitting at your desk for hours when you’re just not able to get things done. Go and do something you enjoy and try and get out of the house, and just try again tomorrow. A few days off here and there is not going to ruin your degree, and taking time to do something for yourself is likely to make you more productive in the long run.
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