Study tips from a procrastinator

If you are a procrastinator this post is for you! As most of the students out there are now under the exam stress I’ve decided that it would be great to talk about my study tips this week!

I love to read about other methods to study so here is how I make myself stay focused and get the job done!

1. Print out a calendar and write down your exams dates

My university exams are in June for the summer session and at the end of January the start of February for the winter one so the first thing I do after we set the exams is to print a simple calendar and write down all the exams dates. This helps me know exactly which days I have to be at university and how many days I have for studying.

2. I make sure I have all my study materials printed/downloaded a month or more before

This one is super important for me because it saves me a lot of time in my exams month. It can be really frustrating having to take multiple trips to the printing shop to get everything you need so make sure you gather everything that you need ahead of time.

3. Know when you are the most productive

For me, it’s definitely in the morning so I do all my heavy learning then. It might seem that not a single moment in a day is suitable for studying, I know, but take a bit and figure out when you are the most productive. You can experiment in the first few days to see what time of the day works for you then stick to your schedule.

4. Take enough time in the morning

I like to wake up around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning so I can spend about 1 hour and a half drinking my coffee and taking care of my morning routine. I also have breakfast while watching some YouTube or an episode of whatever show I am watching at the moment. I only start study after all my morning habits are completed.

I’ve realized that if I don’t take enough time to really wake up I can’t really focus that well and I end up on my phone faster.

5. Write down your notes from the beginning

I like to do this before starting my exams for the classes that provide a list of possible subjects on the exams. I like writing down notes because I can study a lot better when I have everything organized. Most books are full of text that you don’t really need in an exam so taking out only the important things is a must for me. I obviously don’t do this when I have to know the whole book for the exam. I just limit myself to quick sketches or notes whenever I don’t understand something.

6. Use the Pomodoro method

If you haven’t heard of this, you basically study for 25 minutes with a 5 minutes break. You repeat this 4 times then take a 30 minutes break. I find that I can focus a lot when I do this and I also use an app called Focus Keeper so I can time my sessions.

If you want to learn more about this you can read all about it here.

7. Write down your tasks for the day and for the future days

I like to grab a sticky note and write down the subjects that I want to learn. In other words, I kinda plan my topics so I know exactly what I have to learn and what I have to revise. Plus, I get to cross everything that is done and this is really pleasing haha!

8. Put your phone on silent or place it in another room

I put my phone on silent but keep it in the room because my mom calls me often and I don’t like to stand up and go after the phone every time it rings. I just leave it in a farther corner of my room and only check it in my 5-minute break.

9. Don’t study in a bed

I’ve learned this the hard way at the beginning haha! I always lied to myself thinking that if I was comfortable I would automatically learn easier. Big mistake! I always ended up taking a nap or feeling really sleepy afterward.

So try studying at a desk. Many studies suggest that we should learn in a different room than the one we sleep in but I can’t study anywhere else besides my bedroom so my advice would be to find a place where you don’t feel distracted.

10. How is my study schedule looking

Ok, so to end this I’ve decided to show you how my study schedule looks like:

• I wake up around 7:30 – 8:00
• I take about an hour / an hour and a half for my morning routine + first coffee
• 9:00 – 9:30 I start getting out all my study materials, make my checklist, and began to study
• 12:30-13:00 I stop and began to prepare my lunch
• Until about 15:00 I eat, what YouTube or an episode of a current Tv Show that I am watching + coffee number 2
• At around 15:30 I began to study again but this time I mostly revise the subjects I previously learned
• I stop again at around 17:00 when my mom comes home and I spend my time with her
• Have dinner at around 18:30 then relax
• If I am happy with how the day when I watch TV then go to bed at around 23:00
• If I still have some work to do I start doing it at around 19:00 – 19:30 and I usually do it for max of 2 hours. I am not that productive at night time so I always leave the easier tasks at night

What are your study tips? Let me know in the comments down below!

2