HOW TO STUDY SMARTER AND HARDER

A lot of people find it difficult to study and almost always forget whenever they study so turn to ask themselves questions like “how do I study smarter not harder?” but the reality is that people have to study smarter and harder at the same time because the both go together unnoticeably. This does not mean you have to be studying 22 hours a day this simply means you are studying hard in a smart way. Those that top a class do not study different things. They study the same materials in a different way and that is what others have been struggling to find. How on earth do they do it starts with a determination to achieve a particular goal? If you have something, you are fighting for, you will look at it as a trophy to achieve and you will be having ideas all around you that will help you course your path to success. This is always accompanied by a feeling of unsatisfaction. You do not seem to have had enough even when you have studied all day. 

So I am not going to be empty out contents that’s not going to be useful to you but learning how to learn is a very practical aspect of education that have been minimized and I will break it down for you. I will explain to you the world’s best top tips for a successful academic year. This is what majority of the top students do to achieve high grades.

1. Use different methods to study the same information:

I personally relate with this. At times, a concept might be new to you or you maybe can’t catch the meanings and reasons behind the topic. It’s okay if you keep quiet and say you can’t understand anything from it but it is smarter to look for a different method to understand it. If while reading you can’t really picture it out, try moving to YouTube and watch one or two videos about the topic and you will get a better view of it. This is because while some people are good at listening, others are more of an audiovisual learner. At times, it might just be the organization of the materials that makes it difficult, to understand. Therefore, you can decide to download your own notes or read from another source. When I don’t seem to understand what I’m studying depending on the course or subject I can go to Wikipedia and get an overview of it. Once I do that, I easily understand the rest. At times creating a diagrammatic representation or bringing out mnemonics helps. I encourage you to try that. It helps you study smart.

 2. Periodically go through the materials you’ve already read.

If you studied economics, you will understand that satisfaction depreciates once you have eaten a good quantity of the food you were yelling for few minutes ago. This is often the challenge with this method. Rereading a material helps you familiarize with the content thereby giving you a better mastery of the concept. If you find it difficult to use, I can explain to you my high school trick. After reading, I will have multiple books where I will write these things down. This can be after a day or two but it helps. Writing down what you know about the topic helps you measure the amount of information you have acquired. After writing all you know, return to the book that serves as a reference and correct mistakes or review the parts you missed out.

3. Be focused

Siting at the front of the class or back is not important for someone that knows what he or she want. To be attentive is the pathway to get what you want. Whenever there is a lecture, you need to be focused to grasp what the lecturer or teacher is saying because even when everything you read is gone, these words are left behind. Take down notes of what he is saying and review it as the previous method suggested. 

If you find it difficult to focus when studying, I suggest you learn meditation. This helps you concentrate and as such, increases productivity.

4. Have an orderly scheme of work to follow

This is where an orderly timetable comes in play. The best students in the world have an orderly pattern of doing things even when they are the dirtiest in the school. They do not multitask important issues as it doesn’t cause you to focus but they program particular topics or subjects for a particular period of the day. Once they are done with that, they then move to the next subject. 

Talking of multitasking you will agree with me that texting someone or browsing on social media while reading a new concept is stressful, time consuming and unproductive. I will suggest you give your ultimate best when studying a new concept but do not hesitate to search something you don’t understand 

5.  Compress and Simplify the information you have received

As explained earlier, the use of graphs, mnemonics and summaries are a vital part of highly successful kids. Their ability to summarize an entire text into a single word at times two. As much as mnemonics are fun, they can easily be remembered.

The use of graphs are simple, takes less time and increases efficiency after the first reading. Pictures when done correctly speak a thousand words

6. Jot down challenging points and research about them

The methods I tell you presently, I testify with them all. One of the top studying tips is to jot down challenges when you read. After reading everything or during the course pf reading, take out time and do more research about the topics and challenges then get back to your work. It helps you give a broader view of that topic thus keeping you updated and productive.

7. Write down notes rather than using your laptops

You might be surprised at this but remember the primary objective of this all is so that your brain may exercise itself. According to some researchers, writing down points that makes sense helps the brain visualize and exercise itself more that when the individual is typing using his keyboard. By writing down notes on your own, you master key information that becomes necessary along the line. This studying tip is an art that can be, better appreciated by the artist. You can compare to get your conclusion. After all, there is no reason why you can’t try.

8. Take online test and tutorials

After reading a topic, it is, recommended to take online test and some tutorials sheets with good questions. This helps you measure the amount of knowledge you have acquired and provides you with the good exam type questions. Online test and question answering is the number one studying tip for most A graders. Some top students solely rely on this as their secondary method after reading and I can’t say I’m free from this method because I once used it and it was productive.

9. Discuss the topic read

Maybe after reading you can meet few people that still find it challenging to understand what you already know. You can lend them a hand. Teach and explain some stuffs to them and you will notice that at the end of the explanation you get not just satisfied but confident. Moreover, confidence is a very important part of succeeding both in an academic and a business milieu. Don’t be afraid to argue with friends but make sure you research and conclude on the argument before accepting the concept.

10. Eat a healthy diet and drink enough fluid. 

The body requires carbohydrates for energy production and proteins for the repair of body tissues. Given that the brain uses 20 times more energy that muscles, you will find yourself very exhausted at the end of every studying session. Eat well to get enough energy, proteins, electrolytes and all the other classes that makes up a balanced diet. 

11. Sleep well

You should be surprised that sleep is a good studying tip but it is true. The brain after working, similar to muscles, needs rest. Therefore, you have to sleep. During your sleep sessions, the brain profits from that time to repair worn out brain tissues thus preparing you for the next battle.

According to scientist, an adult should sleep averagely 7-8 hours a day for an optimal brain functioning. With this in mind, make sure your timetable fits this in. you don’t want to end up sick in the hospital believe me.

These are the top 11 studying tips you will ever see in the web and I am pretty sure of that. Any other thing will be a subset of any of these categories. You can follow these steps after now and perfect your grades. If there is any studying tip I did not include, you can mention it on the comment section below.