15 Ways to Study Smarter Not Longer

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15 Ways to Study Smarter Not Longer
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The main objective of education is not getting
high grades but it is to learn the vital skills
which would help you throughout your life. When
you will organize your academic life accordingly,
you can successfully minimize all the problems
that you face. It is about pursuit of excellence
and not success! It is about cultivating your
strengths and not defeating your peers! Here, we
present you 15 ways which will comprehensively
prepare you to learn effectively and smartly,
thus, reducing the number of hours you spend for
your studies. Follow them to ensure yourself a
balanced life where you will have time to meet
your friends, enjoy your leisure along with
maintaining the regular academic routine.
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1. Organize your schedule The term organize do
not refer to simply making a time table and
following it. It suggests that you should
organize your studies inclusively. Making
separate notebooks from each and every subject,
carrying other essentials all the time (from
pencil to calculator), maintaining a planner
among others things are parts of it. Also keep a
track of your regular progress and identify the
areas where you need to emphasize. Today you can
use technology for your own benefits. An alarm
clock will help you to get up on time while your
PC will help you to keep notes and find out some
crucial information from the internet. Finally,
maintain a routine and follow it regularly. Key
Tip Always carry a highlighter with you. Simple
color coding will help to identify the important
areas and also assist you to remember them.
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2. Learn through different waysExperts opine
that when people use all their senses to
understand a topic, it stimulates different parts
of the brain and hence allows you to understand
and retain the information better. Obviously,
students do not understand the concepts of any
topic in the first attempt. So, it is important
to review and re-read the topic through an
alternate medium to learn faster. So, when you
are going to learn a topic, do not depend on your
class notes only. You also need to read your
textbook, look up for online resources, watch
videos, practice problems from a variety of
resources etc to develop strong knowledge.Key
Tip Try to teach your friend or junior the same
subject that you have learnt. Teaching somebody
always augments your knowledge.
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3. Study multiple subjects every daySometimes
the students are told to study a single subject
whole day so that they can develop strong command
and mastery over it. Sometimes when you study
similar information, your mind cannot stimulate
it any longer and hence you can get confused and
mix-up different ideas. So, it is always better
to study multiple subjects every day. But it does
not signify that you should learn all the
subjects in one day try to provide equal timeto
at least two subjects in a day. Studying multiple
subjects in a single day is always helpful when
you are preparing for the upcoming
examinations.Key Tip You can be weak in one
particular subject which you dont like to study
and always avoid. But dividing your time equally
for all the subjects can help you to excel in it.
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4. Attend classes and participate Attending
classes at the college is equally important as it
was in the school level. Studying becomes much
more effective when you attend classes regularly
and participate in the discussion. Try to
understand what the professor is trying to convey
to you all and how other friends are responding
to it. Do not hesitate to ask questions when you
dont understand something. You can also take
running notes which will be your reference in
future. It will help you to understand the
subject better. Key Tip Interestingly, one
survey found that students sitting in the front
row tend to get higher grades in the exam than
the students sitting in the last benches! The
front row benches also remain more motivated! So,
next time get the best seats in the class.
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5. Avoid multi-tasking Multi-tasking makes a
person less productive. Various studies have
shown that in contrary to the claim, the
multi-taskers are not better than the ordinary
person who pursues one task at a time. So, if you
want your studies to be productive and effective,
concentrate on one thing at a time. One of the
foremost duties that you need to do is put away
your smart phone and sign out from the social
networking and instant messaging services. These
distractions always ruin your concentration. If
you have a habit of listening to songs while
solving mathematical problems, try to change it
as quickly as possible. Key Tip Learning
becomes most effective when you choose a calm and
quiet environment for yourself. Locate the most
comfortable (but not your bed) and pleasant
corner of your home and start studying.
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6. Try mnemonic techniques Mnemonic techniques
or memory enhancing techniques has recently
emerged as one of the most powerful strategies
which help in retaining different formula and
series in mind. Studies have shown that the
students who use the mnemonic techniques like
acronyms, rhymes or associate any formula with
music perform better than the students who take
the conventional ways. For example, if you are
confused between stalactites and stalagmites
just remember that stalacTites grow from Top and
stalaGmites grow from Ground. Key Tip If you
are not into mnemonic techniques, you can also
employ diagrams, flowcharts, comparison table and
charts. They are also equally helpful to memorize
and learn information faster.
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7. Write, dont type The digital revolution has
changed the academic world. Now the students can
get information in any subject with just a mouse
click. They also feel comfortable in typing the
notes rather than writing it in the exercise
books. But academicians, professors and also
scientists strictly discourage this practice of
typing down the notes. Using laptops to write
down not only makes you prone to online
distractions but it also makes learning less
effective. When you write the information in your
exercise book, you process, reframe the
information, causing a retaining effect. In
contrast, laptop note takers do not get attached
to the information and write down the notes
blindly. Key Tip It is very simple, set aside
your laptop and start writing from now on.
Students who take down notes always perform
better in the examinations.
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