Have you ever stayed up late to cram for a test or big presentation? I know I have! Well, this late night cramming is actually not a good way to study and could lead to bad grades and scores. Cramming and information overload doesn’t allow our brains to put information into the long-term memory. Good study habits happen when information is stored and reflected on. The video, “Some scientifically proven best ways to study,” shares the importance of creating a study program to ensure effective and efficient studying.
Here are some useful tips and recommendations to create a study program and improve your study habits:
- Exercise! Exercise can contributes to improved performance, a longer attention span, smoother information processing, and greater ease of problem solving. It also releases dopamine which is our body’s “happy hormone.” I would recommend exercising before, in between, or after you study.
- Work with others! Don’t just read the material over and over again. Instead, utilize other students, facility, or friends to teach and collaborate with each other to spread knowledge and ideas. Social learning will make the information more applicable and more fun.
- Test yourself! “Testing yourself is far more effective than simply rereading.”
- Get a good night’s sleep! Sleep is crucial to your brain’s development. Give your brain the opportunity to be as active as possible for an exam or presentation by getting at least 8 hours of sleep or by taking a quick power nap in between study sessions.
- Try to enjoy studying! Try to study and find ways to enjoy the material. Maybe this requires using a reward system like studying for an hour and then watching a short episode on Netflix.
All of these tips can be use to create your own study program! As I said before, cramming is not the solution for effective studying. I recommend studying for an hour then exercise, take a power nap, or talk to a friend, and then return to studying. Lastly, always remember to try and find ways to enjoy the work that you do and understand that studying can be frustrating at times, it is vital that we as students learn, retain, and apply the information we learn from studying.