Help with study habits?

Question

I don't normally study and want to get better marks by studying more but its not working

Answer 1

You could join a formal study group. Not just an informal group of people who generally hang out in a lounge with a TV on, and some books open, but a real, formal study group, with fixed members and a regular meeting schedule. These kind of groups meet in the library, or in bookstores, and tend to stick together for several semesters, or even through the whole course of school. Often, they develop individual subject matter leaders, with one person taking the lead in math, another with history, and yet someone else in science. At the college and graduate level, they may not have subject matter leaders, but may work together on class projects, and even coordinate academic schedules to take classes together.

If your school has them, you could register for or rent a study carrel: http://www.selu.edu/library/services/car...

The advantage of a study carrel is having a quiet, dedicated place to study, where you will not be distracted or interrupted, and which you come to associate with productive work and learning. I only got a study carrel for one semester as an undergraduate, but it was definitely the most productive semester of my undergraduate experience. Some people can study nearly anywhere. But most people do benefit by putting some time into setting up a dedicated work area, even if that is just a "go bag" of materials they take along to regular library sessions. When I didn't have a carrel, my "go bag" housed a collection of highlighters, note pads, pens & mechanical pencils, ruler, magnifying glass, two folding bookstands, digital clock, and a battery powered reading lamp. In my day, we didn't have cell phones or mp3 or CD players, but today, you have to sequester those kinds of distractions, perhaps in a lockable pocket of a "go bag." The point of a go bag is to have along all your study materials, any time you head to a study place away from where you live.

If you intend to study where you live, set up a dedicated study area, and study only there. Make your family or roommates aware that when you are in your study area, you are not to be disturbed. Close doors if you can, but if you can't wear earplugs. Not earbuds, ear _plugs_! Don't read in bed, or in the living room. If your study area has to be the dining room or kitchen table, do what you can to be isolated in your use of it, and treat it as if it were a library table, taking your "go bag" there.

Many people say they "think better" or "study better" if they are listening to music. Bull sh*t. Double bull SH*T. When you study, you want control of 100% of your brain activity. Unless you are studying music appreciation in that moment, no music. No phone calls. No IM. No Web pages. No email. Lock all your electronics away, except those you need for class work, until class work is complete.

Pay attention to posture. Sit up straight, in a chair. Don't lie down, and don't walk around while reading. Read with both eyes, not while squinting. Do not read aloud, unless studying theater, poetry, or proof reading your own writing. Don't move your mouth, while reading silently; this slows you down a lot, and inhibits your comprehension.

Take a five minute break, every two hours. Not a 10 minute break, every hour. Not a 5 minute break every 30 minutes. 5 minutes, every 2 hours. Walk around, stretch, breathe deeply, go to the bathroom, get a cup of coffee. And keep it to 5 minutes.

Eating and drinking while you study is as bad or worse for concentration than listening to music. Besides the problems of managing food and beverages around books, papers, and other study materials, ingesting food pulls blood to your stomach for digestion, and away from your brain. Your blood sugar levels go up and then down, and then up again after eating, and this change of blood sugar doesn't help with short term memory, or transitioning facts to long term memory.