Tips on how to study more efficiently

Last week I needed to urgently write a paper for my university on a subject that is rather hard and that I’m not that familiar with. I did a tremendous amount of work in just 4 days and got a total 100 for it. I only studied when my daughter was at school and later in the evening and still managed to write it with no problems. Today I wanted to share some of my tips about how to study efficiently, successfully and still have some time for family, fun or simply for yourself.

I was a total nerd in school, so trust me when I say: it’s not about the amount of time that you spend on studying, it’s about the quality of it. In high school as I was preparing for my finals I slept less than 3 hours every day, rarely ate and functioned on coffee and cookies because I believed that I would get more things done this way. In the end I didn’t just spend 6 months of my life feeling miserable, I also did a very poor job as I forgot absolutely everything after the finals were over. Right now I am much better at studying efficiently and can definitely say that the knowledge stays with me forever, so here are my top tips on how to do that:

1. First of all, you need to understand how human brain works. It has been proven, that short sessions of studying with little breaks every once in a while is the best way to learn something. This is the reason they have it like this in schools - 40 minutes to 1 hour of studying and then give it a break, go outside, listen to music, completely get off the subject to let your mind sort the information out. Trust me, if you are tired, stressed or bored out of your mind, you won't learn anything no matter how long you study.
 

2. Eat. Your body has priorities, all right? Food is the biggest one, because without energy you can't do anything. Seriously, if you body was economy, then food would be the money. Don't wait for hours to get a snack, set up a time (for example, in two hours after you begin your studying) and when the time comes up, leave everything and go get yourself a nutritious balanced meal and a glass of water. Seriously, if you make sure that you are eating properly and don't let yourself get hungry, you will notice how much easier it is to study successfully.

3. Eliminate your distractions. So, no phones, no TV, no snacks - nothing that can make you go: "Just 5 minutes and I'll continue". This will do much more damage than you expect, because sometimes it's really hard to get back into the mood.
 

4. Create a calm and comfortable environment. Feeling good is very important, so make sure that your surrounding is a pleasant place to be in. This is completely up to you: some people like being at school or a library, others prefer their own home, some enjoy studying on the floor, some - behind the table, some people feel like they concentrate better with music, others might want a complete silence. Just make sure that you are very comfortable.

For those of you who like to put some music in their headphones, I'll leave a few links to some of my favorite music for studying down below.
 

5. Customize your way of studying. Nowadays we have an amazing opportunity of choosing which way we want to receive out information: we can find many written articles about the subject, there are tons of available video lectures if this is your thing or even many YouTube channels that specifically explain some concepts and subjects in an easy and very relatable way. Personally, I always go beyond the textbook and search the hell out of the subject, also taking advantage of speaking more than one language, because the most important thing is to find the source that is better at presenting facts and information.

6. Make a list of tasks and organize your time accordingly. First of all, you need to realistically see how much time you've got to finish this thing and how much time you'll be needing. After, you can plan your day with this in mind and be sure to stick to it - this way you'll get it done on time. Also, making a list of tasks helps you find where to start and reflects your progress. Sometimes it can feel like you've got so much to do that you don't even know where to begin, but if you write it all down, you'll clearly see what you are up against and will be able to prioritize some things over others.
 

7. Study first, leisure second. Just as soon as you get up, get to studying. No Facebook, no "just for 5 minutes" games, No. Studying is your work, it is your priority, so get it done first and then you can reward yourself with TV shows and chatting with your friends. Just think about it: if you get it out of the way first thing in the morning, you'll have all day without stressing over it.

8. Try to relate. The easiest way to remember information forever is to relate it to something you already know and use. For most subjects, you'll easily be able to apply acquired information to situations that already make sense to you. This will help you to understand it much more profound.
 

9. It is always easier to learn something if you like it. I know that in reality you are not always studying something that you like, but all subjects are fascinating if you think about it. Try to look for something that you like, something that can be useful to you and if this doesn't work, then turn on your curiosity. After all, there is no such thing as too much knowledge.

Knowing how to learn is one of the most useful skills you will ever posses. Learning helps us grow, adapt, reach higher and become better. It is something you will spend most of your life doing, so make it count and enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX6usZWiMAo&t=2311s - this is my favorite music for concentrating, canceling out the noise, studying and writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dnWev0CvX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9n6SAXnQdg&t=7s - make sure you try some classical music as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFTSSKCzWA - highly recommend checking out sounds of nature, for some people it might work even better than music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Nj8jtEr74 - also be sure to try some white noise. It is surprisingly effective.

Please, let me know if there is any other pregnancy related subject that you would like me to cover, just in case some of you still have some questions about that.