Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well and I wish you a lovely year ahead. 2020 has been tough on all of us, but thankfully, there were still small joys to appreciate. Fingers crossed that 2021 will bring us more joys than sorrows, though!
I know this post might not sound like the most fun (even though it was fun to write 😅) but I think it’s very timely (at least, right now). Because if you’re a student like me, you’re probably going back to school soon, and while having two weeks off from school was so needed and helpful, it’ll be hard to get back into the mood for school without some study tips…am I right? 😀
These are 4 studying & productivity tips that I have found worked for me since we entered distance learning. These tips may or may not be scientifically proven, but if you’re wondering how to improve productivity with your studying, I hope you find these tips helpful!! Even if they don’t work out for you, it could be worth a try. Either way, no pressure, I just wanted to do a study tips post and it was lots of fun to do 😊
I’ll have a shorter explanation and longer explanation to go with each of the tips. The former is there if you’re in a rush and the latter is there if you’re curious to know my own experiences with these tips. But it’s totally okay if you can only get to the shorter explanations, the longer ones just feature more of my own experiences. 😉
Now, let’s get started!
- Know What You Want to Achieve
Basically, know what you are studying and why. This may seem obvious, but I think it’s really important to know!
Shorter explanation:
Planning your study schedule is one thing – planning the structure of that study period is another. Knowing what you want to cover with that study period is essential to productivity and feeling good about your work after. What are you hoping to achieve with the study period? Read two chapters? Do ten practice problems?
Longer explanation:
I generally study the most for math, as I get the most quizzes/tests from this class. My teacher provides us really good review worksheets that we work on during the class periods prior to testing day. But after I complete and check my answers, I like to do a little extra.
Our textbook correlates with Khan Academy lessons, so whatever material we are going to test in that week, I go to the related Khan Academy practices. I may open up as many as seven tabs to as few as two.
If the material is more multi step or conceptually more difficult, I’ll spread the studying out. I might do the practices over three study periods on three different days or I might do them all in one day and go back to the most challenging ones later in the week. With all the tabs open for as long as I need them, I have a concrete picture of what I should cover in my studying, and it reduces stress because I know I am being productive and have a plan to continue being productive.
This was a little lengthy 😅 but I felt that this was a tip I don’t see floating around a lot and as it’s really helpful, I thought it best to give a more in depth explanation!
2. Experiment with Highlighting and Color Coded Systems
Shorter explanation:
Aesthetically pleasing and organized notes are most ideal to study from and come back to! Try organizing by color – pink for vocab, orange for new concepts, yellow to show connections, etc. But make sure you don’t spend too long trying to come up with a system or stress about staying consistent or remembering! This is meant to help not distract. And the age old trick of highlighting essential info is always there!!
Longer explanation:
I recently started using Notion to put all my organized and color coded notes in. I love how I can insert subpages and make toggled lists especially! I haven’t tried all the features yet of course, but look forward to it. I try putting my notes for science and social studies in different sections, and use colored fonts and colored backgrounds to differentiate between them.
For example, with science, I might have a Getting Started section—a toggled intro for my notes on the day’s lesson. I might make the font blue or purple (it’s very readable, no worries!). When getting into the actual notes, I might make the background a light yellow or green for some of the related points (Notion is very easy on the eyes!).
3. Curate a Study Playlist
Shorter explanation:
You might not like playing music while you study. That’s totally ok! I don’t do it a lot either. But sometimes, when the studying is a little dry and you need some “juice” to get your brain flowing better, yes you can take a cup of actual juice, but you can also play some soft instrumental music. I highly recommend “lo-fi beats to relax or study to” or “ambient rainy day coffee shop music”.
Longer explanation:
I have a playlist called Ambient/Study. And you bet I have lo-fi beats in there! I also like setting-inspired music, such as being in a coffee shop on a rainy day (there’s actually music for that). Music can be a great way to ease the studying and make it more fun. But if it’s too distracting or it takes too much time to choose a song, feel free to ~ let it go ~. Studying shouldn’t be stressful, even if it is for a test!
4. Reward Yourself
Shorter explanation:
Take a break from studying! Watch an hour of your favorite TV show, curl up with a good book, talk to your friends, listen to music, or even just take a nap. Studying without breaks is like hiking a mountain with no rest—it gets tiring easily and gets harder to push through.
Longer explanation:
There’s actually a method called the Pomodoro Technique. There are some variations, I assume, but the one I’m familiar with is when an hour of studying is broken down like this.
First 15 minutes — Study | Next 5 minutes — Rest | Next 15 minutes — Study | Next 5 minutes — Rest | Last 15 minutes — Study | Last 5 minutes — Rest
Personally, I like studying for long periods of time (1 – 2.5 hours) and taking a nice break afterwards—green tea ice cream and Netflix, here I come! So I don’t use the Pomodoro Technique very much, but who knows? Maybe I will in future…
But I’m sure the Pomodoro Technique is popular for a reason! Studying is very subjective — find what works best for you!
My hopes are, that with this post, you were able to find some new tips for studying efficiently, or even relate. Do you use Notion or Khan Academy? Do you like color coding your notes? What are study tips you found helpful! Tell me your thoughts in the comments below! I would love to see them 😀
Happy studying! I hope that all of you have an easy transition back into the regular schedule. But remember that despite how much work may need to be done, it is so important to have fun when you can. Having an equal balance of work and play is essential! So take care of yourselves, and stay happy and healthy!! I’ll see you soon!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your tips. Thanks for sharing! A study playlist sounds fun.
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Thanks so much Jenny! I’m glad you enjoyed. Hehe study playlists are really fun to make! ❤️
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YAY green tea ice cream for life!! this was fun to read and very useful 🙂
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YES absolutely agree 😁 Thank you so much Abby! I hope school is going well for you 😀
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Hello, Star Sister! XD
These are amazing tips! Thanks for sharing! I like listening to music while I study, too, and I also agree that you should reward yourself after you are done! It’s good to take breaks when you’re studying. 🙂
Great tips!
-Addie-
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Hey Star Sister! 😁 Thank you so much, I’m so happy you liked them!! Definitely, studying goes by easier with music and breaks. Hope everything’s going well!
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ahh eleanor you’re back!!! i was so happy to see a post from you in my reader 🥺🥺 and thank you so much for these tips – i’m really dreading going back to school tomorrow after break and i need all the advice i can get 😭 the tip about knowing what you want to achieve is so helpful, i agree that it’s important to have a purpose for studying!!
and yesss i love notion too, it’s so fun to use 😅 i haven’t really taken that many notes on notion, but i can’t wait to try! also i love the lofi hip hop radio on youtube for studying lol! these tips were so helpful, i loved this post 🥰🥰
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Aw thank you so much Ash!! It feels so good to be back 😁 I’m going back to school tomorrow too, still trying to stay optimistic lol, and I’m grateful to still be able to learn during these times…but it can get…really…hard 😅 definitely, one of the best feelings is when you set out to accomplish 1, 2, and 3 during a study session and completely ace it! I’m excited to continue using Notion for notes and actually exploring more of the features too! I know right?! The lofi hip hop radio just saves us 😌 and the aesthetic is so soothing and calming. I’m so glad you found these tips helpful and enjoyed the post!! ❤️
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These are some useful tips. Thanks for sharing them.
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Of course Isha, I’m so glad you found them useful!
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thank you so much for all of these lovely tips!! i’ve recently started using notion and it’s such an amazing tool!! great post, eleanor!!
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My pleasure, Ahaana, many thanks for your lovely comment! Absolutely, I love how Notion also goes beyond the usual note taking into journaling, keeping track of books/movies/TV shows/, etc.
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School starts on monday for me, and I’m both hot and cold about it, your study tips were definitely helpful though! Have a great school year! 🥰
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I’m so glad they were helpful!! Thank you so much, I hope you also have a wonderful school year!!
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*observes a minute of silence for the impeccable structure*
Amazing tips, Eleanor! I’ve always wanted to try the Pomodoro technique for so long but I don’t like studying for short intervals 😂 I don’t use Notion but I occasionally watch a few videos on Khan Academy when I feel like I want to know more about a particular topic. A study playlist sounds great! I don’t have a study playlist but I always listen to music while studying. It helps me focus better 😂
Hope you have a lovely school year ahead!!
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*observes a minute of silence to wonder what I did to deserve such a wonderful blogging friend who has been with me since the start*
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post D!! Hehe SAME me too, I also prefer studying for longer intervals! Khan Academy has saved me time and time again and I’m so grateful for its existence 😊 Same, it’s like music is the creative juice the brain needs when the thoughts are getting dry! Thank you so much, I wish you the best with school too, you’re going to do amazing!
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Aw.. you’re too kind! Always a pleasure reading your posts!!❤️ Thank you! Wishing you the same!🤗✨
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Same to you!! ❤️
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[…] Eleanor gave 4 great tips for studying, which were so helpful! (She’s also launching a new writing related blog series which you should definitely check out!) […]
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I loved reading this post! They’re great tips!
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Thank you so much Ritz!! So glad you found them helpful!!
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I love this! I totally agree rewarding yourself is super important – especially for mental health! I did a post where I shared study tips for lockdown which I’d love for you to check out: https://zainabchats.wordpress.com/2021/02/14/how-to-study-in-lockdown/
Great post!!
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Thank you so much Zainab! It really is important to take breaks, otherwise it can get very tiring! Ooh I agree with your points—making timetables to plan out the study session definitely ensures success! Thank you for sharing 😊
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