Like most people, COVID0-19 has tornadoes through and turned our lives upside down. While some people will continue to soar above and beyond given any situations, some of us will need a bit of readjustments in our daily lives. However, rather than be in demise this can be a good opportunity to evaluate your studying habits, create a study routine that will help you through these tough times and be on the road to success.
Understand yourself
Everyone has a different way of learning. The first step to achieve effective learning is knowing how you learn best. The common learning styles are defined in the VARK model of visual, auditory, kinesthetic and verbal learners. However, you may be a combination of these as well as other attributes such as social learners who learn best in groups or solitary learners who learn best alone.
By understanding how you learn best, you can start creating an environment that works for you.
Be consistent
Consistency is key to building a good studying habit. Create a schedule you can easily see, such as on paper, Excel or adopt one of Motifate’s study routine templates, to help allocate your time and a balanced lifestyle. Know when you need to participate in online lectures and tutorials, give yourself time to run errands and catch up with friends.
Cut distractions
Studying is not the most fun thing to do and we can easily get distracted by more interesting things like Social Media, Netflix etc. Once you have dedicated a time to study, cut out distractions by turning off notifications, silencing your phone so you can concentrate. Use the 25-minute Pomodoro Timer Technique to keep you focused and after you’ve completed a 25 minute block reward yourself with 5 minutes of free time before you put your head down to study again. This system of cue and reward will train you to enjoy the process and turn the act of studying into a habit.
Look after yourself
No matter how many papers you have due or in the middle of finals, there is nothing more important than looking after yourself, eating healthy, having regular exercise and sleeping well.