1. Attach meaning to your studies:
Even if someone is forcing you to go to school or you feel you don’t have a choice, change your attitude and you’ll find the task much more pleasant. Take personal ownership of your knowledge and learning. Concentrate on learning, not just taking classes or studying for exams. Envision far in the future how your studies may benefit you, others, and God. Your education can become a like a personal mission or the beginnings of your ministry. Don’t wait for someone to force you to study; make a choice so that it’s your thing…not theirs.
2. Create a plan: map your semester, your week, and your day:
Make good use of monthly or semester calendars, daily planners, weekly time management worksheets, and electronic reminders that you might set up on your cell phone or computer. Put all due dates and other critical dates for the semester in a place where you will see them frequently. Spread out your ongoing requirements so that you won’t have to “exam cram” or do “catch up” reading at the last minute. Try to map out your objectives for the coming week on Saturday or Sunday. Take a few minutes in the evening to plan out what you intend to do tomorrow. At the end of each day, take inventory on what you finished and what is unfinished. Celebrate your accomplishments.
3. Build a routine:
Once you know you know your schedule of classes and other commitments each week, put these on a weekly time management spreadsheet that shows every hour of every day for the week on one page (I have one of these I can send you by email). First add in your class times, sleep, exercise, et cetera and then find blocks of time where you can study. One week might look very similar to the next, and this is the way that you get into a routine. Having a routine helps life to go smoother and easier. It allows you to be more organized and productive.
4. Identify several comfortable working/study environments:
A good study environment is quiet with very few distractions and interruptions. It should be comfortable and well-lit. You might have a main study base, but then you should also develop two or three alternates. For example, your room might be the main base but you might also find a favorite spot at the school library and then a third spot at the coffee shop. For some people, it is helpful to study in one spot for an hour or two, and then change to a new place. You can determine how frequently you need to change in order to keep your attention and motivation at a high level.
5. Sleep, Eat, Exercise:
Successful students have to stay healthy in order to perform effectively, just like an athlete. There is a huge connection between physical and mental wellness. Be sure to get the right amount of sleep (not too much or too little). Eat real food, not junk food. Enjoy some exercise every day (even just walking or biking is good). These three things keep your mind sharp and your spirits up.
6. Tame the time monsters (Internet, video games, porn, social drinking, et cetera):
There are some things that suck the time right out of your weekly schedule and may leave you feeling tired and discouraged. Hours can pass quickly when you are lost in video games, mindless surfing of the web, searching for porn, drinking with friends, and so on. These time monsters can also become regular bad habits. Exert some self-control to limit the impact of these distractions in your life. If you find yourself unable to cut back, seek help. You may have an addiction.
7. Avoid multi-tasking:
We live in a culture that teaches us to do about three things at the same time. This common tendency actually creates a high amount of stress and leaves us feeling restless. Multi-tasking is bad news for studying. Choose a subject or task and focus only on it. Try not to worry about something else going on, or what you might rather be doing. If you are studying chemistry, just focus on chemistry…nothing else. In order to accomplish this, you’ll probably need to shut off the cell phone, close up Facebook, and put away your email.
8. Take planned and earned breaks:
Even the most dedicated person needs a break from time to time. Breaks actually help us become fresh and renewed for the next push forward. Set a time limit for your study followed by a break. Your break might involve walking from one study location to the next. Breaks can also be a way of rewarding yourself for being focused. An exercise break from studying actually helps accomplish two good things at the same time. A break for prayer, meditation, or Mass is another great way of recharging mentally and spiritually.
9. Connect with a support system:
Gravitate toward friends that study hard and want good grades. This way you can encourage each other and be accountable to them, working at the same goal. If you hang out with friends that just want to goof off, then guess what you’re likely to do?
10. Talk positively to yourself:
Our attitude is critical, and the things that we think and believe shape our feelings and motivations. It is better to tell yourself things that you truly believe, but you might have to fake it at first. If I tell myself “I’m overwhelmed by this class and am sure to fail” then what do you think is going to be the result? Tell yourself for example, that you are going to have a good, focused study period…and then do it. Tell yourself that your American history is interesting, and it will be more enjoyable. Recall the good grades that you’ve made in the past. Become convinced that you are smart enough to learn what you need to. Muster up the courage to do your best.