How to study consistently
How often do you study? A lot of us make the mistake of studying only when our mid-terms or finals are around the corner. Trust me, I was there before and it wasn’t a good experience.
You will get overwhelmed and won’t be able to cover everything you have to.
In this post where I spoke about how to reset your life and crush your goals in 2022, my word for the year was consistency. Being consistent in everything you do is very important if you actually want to see the results you want.
Being consistent is not easy, especially on days when you’re not feeling motivated and things are not working out the way you want to. If today is one of those days for you, just think about your end goal. What will happen if you just keep going? How will you feel later on if you quit now? I bet the answers just popped in your head. Trust your instincts.
In this post, I will be sharing a few tips on how to study consistently every day. These tips still work for me and I’m sure they will work for you as well. I will also be sharing great study habits to have as a student.
This is about to be a helpful post so get ready to do some jotting. Without any further delay, let’s get into it.
Have a goal
Having a study goal is very important. Why are you studying? What do you want to achieve by the end of a study session? There are so many goals you can set but make sure your small goals will eventually add up to make your big goal a reality.
let’s say your big goal is to have straight As or hit a 4.00gpa. Smaller goals you can set are :
-Study for 2 hours daily
-Do all coursework and assignments
-never miss a deadline
-Do more practical questions
All of these small goals will eventually make your big goal come true.
Once you have a goal in mind, studying consistently becomes easier.
Have a daily routine
Having a daily routine as a student is a must. It allows you to create time for everything you have to do and still have free time to do the things you love. When you have a daily routine, you will create a study routine within that routine and this will allow you to study at the same time every day. Once you get used to your routine, studying becomes easier and more enjoyable.
Here is the best daily routine for students and a great morning routine for school.
Just start studying
Sometimes all you have to do is start. Starting is the hardest part of any process. Even if you don’t feel like studying, tell yourself that you’re going to study for just 10 minutes or you’re going to read just a page. By the time you start, you will eventually get into a focused mood and you will find yourself studying for hours.
If you want to study consistently, just start studying. You probably have some studying to do but here you are, reading a post on how to study consistently. Once you’re done, grab your books and start studying.
Relax during breaks
Once it’s time to take a break from studying, please relax. You’re not wasting time. Your brain needs to rest as well. Don’t use your break time for something that will require thinking a lot.
I love to use my break time to go through my social media accounts or quickly watch an episode of K-drama (I am currently loving the business proposal! Let me know in the comments if you’ve watched it)
Don’t study the same subject/course for a long time
This is a mistake I was once guilty of making. Studying the same subject/course for a long time will make you bored or even dislike the subject/course especially if you’re still not understanding anything after dedicating hours to it.
This is where a study schedule comes in handy. Having a study schedule or a study timetable will make your study sessions way better and more organized. It will also make sure you’re not neglecting any subject and focusing too much on the rest.
Don’t know how to create a study schedule? Here is a detailed post on how to create a study schedule you will love and actually use.
Every day, I make sure not to study the same subject for more than 2 hours and it has been helpful. I used to suck at differential equations and I will spend the entire day trying to learn how to solve them but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. So I started practicing it and will stop whenever I got stuck and move to the next course. Somehow when I come back to it, I find a way to solve it. Overthinking is not advisable, even in mathematics!
Keep your phone away
Our phones are our number one source of distractions today. When you want to study, keep your phone away from yourself. Take it to another room, switch it off or put it on flight mode. This will stop the notifications from coming in.
I figured out that keeping my phone away helps me to study consistently because I have nothing to distract me and this helps me to stay focused while studying.
Have everything near your desk
Before you start a study session, make sure you have everything you need near your desk to avoid moving around once you start. Get some water, your study materials, stationeries and any other thing you might need.
If you keep moving around while studying, it will be very difficult to remain focused and you might easily lose interest in studying for that day.
If you live with your family and they are always calling for you, let them know about your study sessions so that they won’t disturb you during those hours.
Prioritize other activities
Like the popular saying, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.
There is so much more to life than studying and getting good grades. Make time for other fun activities. Start a new hobby, join a painting class, and start a side hustle. The list is endless.
Figure out what you want to try/learn and make time for it.
Reward yourself
After all the hard work, it’s only right for you to reward yourself. Do something you’ve been wanting to do. Buy a gift for yourself. Nothing feels good like a reward you know you’ve earned. This alone should motivate you to study consistently.
7 study habits you have to try
Having great study habits will make studying consistently even easier. Here are some study habits you should add to your routine to help you become a better student.
- Learn to motivate yourself
- Take notes during class
- Sleep for at least eight hours daily
- Read your notes/slides before you start doing your assignments
- Have a study group (very important )
- If you get distracted easily, try the Pomodoro technique
- Start using a planner (I use notion as my digital planner)
Final thoughts on how to study consistently
That brings us to the end of this post, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did while writing it. What’s your #1 hack that helped you to study consistently? Let me know in the comments.
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