Let's face it; studying is a big part of everyone's life, whether it be in high school or beyond. As a freshman in high school, I won't say that I have a lot of experience, but I will share a couple of study hacks that I've found to be effective throughout my academic journey.
Finding a method of studying that works for you is a crucial part of effective studying as it will help you be productive and stay on task. Here are some methods I discovered when I was finding what works for me:
Finding Your Method
Start with the subjects you don’t like or seem hard to you. Do them first and then move onto the easier classes to keep you motivated and avoid missing assignments.
Pomodoro Technique: It involves studying for 25 minute intervals and taking 5 minute breaks in between. After 4 rounds, you get to reward yourself with a longer 15 minute break.
Active Recall: Studying a little bit every day. Studies show this improves your memory and helps you do better on quizzes and tests. This method involves reading, then closing the book and writing down what you remember. It encourages your brain to activate its memory mode.
Set Goals for Yourself: This will motivate you to work hard to achieve something you want, and it's even more effective because the goals are personalized and fit your lifestyle.
Creating a Study Schedule for Yourself
As boring as it sounds, creating a study schedule for yourself is probably one of the best things you can do throughout the school year. My advice is to study a little every day instead of cramming before an exam (but let's admit it, we've all done it before). I also suggest taking advantage of modern-day technology and downloading apps to help you stay on track. Some of my personal favourite apps for productivity are:
WidgetCal: A calendar app that allows you to track the events in your month and can be displayed as a widget! It's also fine without the widget function.
Be Focused: This app incorporates the Pomodoro Technique and allows you to set intervals for studying. It also tracks your studying habits throughout the week. You can see your productivity report at the end of the week!
Flora: With this app, you can set a timer for how long you want to study. Once you start your timer, a tree begins to grow. If you exit the app, you get a reminder to go back or your tree dies. You can also collaborate with friends to keep yourself accountable. The best part is that if you pay for a subscription ($2.79/ month), a real tree is planted every 24 hours in rural parts of Asia and Africa, so you can save the planet while getting your work done!
And Finally…
Put Your Phone Away: You silence it or put it somewhere it won't distract you. You can check it between breaks but should try to stay off of it while you're studying.
Ask for Help: Your teachers are there to help you! Shoot them an email or ask them in class if there is something that you don’t understand..
Clean Your Room: This may sound out of context, but keeping your surroundings clean can have a positive psychological effect on you and help you focus because it decreases anxiety and depressive symptoms.
And lastly, hard work pays off so make sure you stay on task to achieve your goals.
Edited by Ally Chan.
Zainab Majid is a grade 10 student at John G. Diefenbaker high school in Calgary, Alberta. She enjoys reading and biking, but also knows that studying is a big part of her life. She loves to meet new people and is constantly looking for ways to make new friends.
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