Studying can be very difficult, particularly if you have other things on your mind (e.g I don’t want to pay for my essay writing).

To finish studying sooner, you need to be able to focus on it, and to do that you need to make sure that you have the best environment possible to help you.

What you Should Do

Find a Good Place to Study

The library is usually a nice place to study because it’s quiet. Perhaps your parents’ office is another potential location, provided it’s quiet and offers few distractions.

The best place to study isn’t always the most obvious choice. Many people try to study in classrooms, or they (if they are still young) have their computer and other possessions in their bedrooms. These aren’t good places because there are lots of distractions in the form of books, the internet, games, and anything else you might keep in your bedroom. Classrooms usually have people moving around them, other activities happening, people walking in and out of them – they aren’t ideal for concentrating.

A lot of people like to study in the library, because it is normally kept fairly quiet. If your parents have a home office, then you might try to get time to study in there, away from other distractions. A good place for studying should be comfortable, and should allow you to remain undisturbed for great lengths of time.

Collect Everything you Need

Make sure that you have everything you need for studying before you actually get started. To sit down and realise that you need pens or papers halfway through can be incredibly distracting, and can mean that you lose your stride.

Find a Study Partner

Having a study partner can keep you accountable, particularly if you are in the habit of getting side-tracked. For your partner, choose a friend (though not one who you will simply sit and talk with), but make sure that that friend is reliable, and that you are both on the same page when it comes to what you want from the studying. Study partners can work well to give different perspectives on the work you are doing, as well as giving different tips and tricks for working and memorisation.

Study partners are only good if you are the type of person who will benefit from them. If you are extremely introverted, or if you know that you work best when you are alone, then perhaps getting a partner is not the best move you can make. On the other hand, two introverts will most likely work well together, as they can both work silently.

When you are studying, try and find a partner who is better than you are at the work you are doing. This is for two reasons: one, their knowledge will inspire you to do better, and two, if they know more than you they might be willing to teach you what they know, and help you learn.

Have Snacks Available

Most people reach for energy drinks, sugary snacks, and coffee for this purpose, but those things are bad. Sugar and caffeine crashes are bad, and will most likely disrupt your studying. Keep these things for a reward when you have reached a certain point in your studying, and instead go for granola, oatcakes, fruit, and water. These are all good for you, and release energy slowly throughout the day.

Take Breaks

Don’t spend the whole day studying. That is the quickest way to tire yourself out, and will make your studying less effective. Try to spend forty five minutes studying, and then take a ten to twenty minute break for maximum effectiveness. Use alarms to plan out when you are taking your breaks – this will only let you know when it is time to stop (helpful if you get too deep into studying) but also help you keep track of when a break is over. Taking a break means that your brain gets time to recharge, and to store the information that you have just taken in.

Study

When you have everything ready, it is time to do the most important thing, and actually study, whether with a study partner or not.

• Use flash cards and notes – if you are specifically memorising small pieces of information, flash cards are ideal. They can be used in several different ways according to what works best for you.
• Use mnemonics – another tool for memorization is the use of mnemonics to help you remember things. This is a commonly thing in music, where the acronym FACE helps people to remember that in the treble clef, the white spaces between the lines are the keys F, A, C, and E respectively.
• Study the important information first, and then move onto secondary information. This will make sure that you have the key concepts solidified in your mind for when you need them. It also means that you will create a solid foundation for the rest of your studying to build upon.
• Make sure you know why you are studying, as this can be a great way to motivate yourself if you get tired and distracted.

What you Shouldn’t do

Panic

Don’t panic, whatever you do. Panicking can lead to mistakes, and mistakes lead to getting things wrong in exams and tests. Plan what you are going to do, take your time when you revise, make sure you stick to your plan, and you will be prepared when it is time to take your test.

Use the Computer

More and more people are making use of apps and downloads which block their access to social media and other sides if they know that they will get distracted. These work by actively stopping you from accessing parts of the internet that will take your attention away from studying.

Listen to Music

People go back and forth over whether listening to music is good for you. I personally find it to be helpful in keeping me focused, but you might find it distracting. You need to find what works for you, and then incorporate it into your routine.

Go Off-Topic

Studying, particularly if you like to learn, can lead to some interesting rabbit holes, but going down them can distract you from the point of the work you are doing. Some distractions are fine if they can help you learn more about what you are doing, but otherwise they just serve to keep you from learning.

Get Discouraged

Studying can be daunting, especially if it is for something important, but it is important to keep from being discouraged. If you allow yourself to be discouraged, then you will not study so effectively, and you will have hobbled yourself. Take things one step at a time, and remind yourself that you will get there in the end if you keep calm and go steadily.