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Considering that most of our success in school is judged by how well we do in exams, which is largely determined by how well we study and retain the information given to us, you’d think there would have been some lessons in how to actually do that.
In recent years since school, I’ve had to find a way of studying that worked for me in order to ensure I was consistently updating my knowledge so that I was providing high-quality information for my clients, and as I embark on a new academic venture, I’ve found myself seeking study methods to suit the more structured approach of formal education.
I’ve created a structure for myself based on various methods I’d come across in this process, and I’ll outline it below in as simple a way as I can manage.
Of course, there is a lot more to passing your course of study than just studying. There is also exam prep, assignment work, presentation work, and more, so bear in mind that this system covers specifically those times where you’re sitting down to go through large chunks of information, like you might see in a textbook or lecture notes.
Note: One particular professor, Professor Marty Lobdell, was particularly influential on the system I outline below, and his video on studying is well worth a watch.
I’ve divided the process into 6 Rs:
1. Remind
It can be useful to think about why you’re actually studying, both from a short-term point of view (you want to pass the exam, you don’t want to feel like you’re falling behind in class etc.), and the long-term view (you want to get a job that you enjoy and pays you well, whilst providing for your family).
Taking a couple of minutes to remind yourself of these things, or whatever other motivations you have, can help with the short-term motivation to go through the toughest barrier of all, getting started, and can also give you an extra bit of vigour to spur on your efforts throughout.
2. Relocate
It is sometimes said that ‘environment dictates performance’ (e.g. an athlete is likely to perform better in a packed-out stadium than in his back garden).
Having a space dedicated to studying allows you to not only distance yourself from potential distractions and people vying for your attention, but also allows you to create a high-performance environment (like the athlete in the stadium) for studying.
If you don’t have access to a space like this, another technique is to use a talisman, something that you only use during the act of studying, such as a specific lamp, stopwatch/timer (more on that soon), or pen, knowing that once this object comes out, it’s time for focussing on studying.
Music-wise, something that doesn’t have lyrics is best so that you aren’t distracted from the words you’re trying to read, so either classical (not to everyone’s taste) or ‘lo-fi beats’ are good options.
3. Run & Rest
Generally, you can only concentrate on an intellectual task for so long before your attention starts to wane. However, if you implement short breaks, you can refresh your focus for another work block, and the rest period doesn’t have to last as long as the work period in order to feel the benefit.
One technique for making use of this idea is called the Pomodoro (Italian for tomato, and based on tomato-shaped kitchen timers) technique. This technique involves 25 minutes of work followed by a 5 minute break.
This means that instead of a 2-3 hour, dragged out study block that's constantly interrupted by social media and messages, and tainted by the subsequent feeling of guilt and unproductivity, you actually get solid blocks of work done, whilst getting to your messages and social media updates during your breaks, guilt-free, if that's how you chose to use them.
The optimal times might differ for each person, so it’s worth playing about with, but 25-5 is a good starting point. This can be timed by a phone alarm or timer or stopwatch, but there are also apps available that take care of it for you.
4. Read
My studying in the past generally consisted of reading through textbooks, hoping something would stick, and highlighting almost every single line (meaning nothing was actually highlighted).
There is a better way of consuming information.
It starts with taking a couple of minutes to scan over the chapter or large section of information you’re planning on covering during the study session, asking questions along the way (What does that diagram mean? How are these section titles connected? How does that word that I recognise relate to this topic?). The idea here isn’t to answer those questions when scanning, but to program your brain to focus and go looking for answers when it comes to the next step, which is actually reading the information. As you read, you then summarise each smaller section in a way that makes sense to you. This will force you to actively consume the information as you read it, rather than passively consuming it. Finally, as a bonus, teaching the information (whether you actually teach it to someone or pretend to teach it to the wall), exposes areas you might not fully understand, but also forces you to make the information more digestible.
5. Remember
Obviously the most important part of all of this is actually remembering the information.
Rote memorisation (simply memorising the information as it is) is useful for facts and figures, and this can be enhanced by using mnemonics (memory aids) e.g. Never Eat Shredded Wheat to remember North, East, South, and West. This can also include things like interacting images (e.g. Imagining someone with a wind vane on their head refusing to eat shredded wheat), rhymes, graphs, etc.
For concepts, however, rote learning isn’t as effective, and instead, relating these new concepts to concepts from areas we already understand well can be useful. E.g. If I'm trying to learn about how in economics, demand for a product goes up when supply is low, I might think about how much more I would want food if there was only a small amount to go around at my family dinner table.
6. Reward
It’s going to take more than one study session to do enough work to pass the exam, so creating a habit is crucial.
Any habit circuit is completed with a reward, so treating yourself to a post-study beer, or Netflix show, or call with a friend can mean that next time you go to sit down to study, it might be that bit easier to get started, knowing there is a reward at the end, even if the satisfaction of a productive study session itself isn’t enough of a reward.