College students are busy. We have to balance classes, homework, social life, dorm stuff (or family life if you’re a commuter), extracurriculars, and jobs, all while staying sane and getting enough sleep to get by. It isn’t easy to use our time efficiently and there is no “one-size-fits-all” strategy to do it.
I can relate; I commute to campus every day, I’m a double-major, I have a big family at home and I work multiple jobs. The hardest thing to do is study. It’s easy enough to go to class and take notes, but preparing for the classes and quizzes and exams is a lot of work on its own. If I study without some sort of goal or plan, I quickly drain my own energy. We’ve all heard and read so many strategies for studying and time-management that our eyes cross, and I’ve tried a bunch with varying levels of success. After 2 years of college classes, here is a list of five little tricks that actually do work for me, and one that really, really doesn’t.
-
Set timers and divide your workload. This helps SO. FREAKIN. MUCH. I don’t only mean working in 30-minute increments, I mean having a lot of short spurts of work for each item on your list. If you have 2 papers, an art project, and a business presentation due in the same week, it can seem impossible to know where, how, or what to start. Dividing an hour into small 5-10 minute chunks to brainstorm or outline each thing at least gets you started, and isn’t that half the battle? Small goals are good to have because they are so easy to accomplish. I can’t remember how many times I’ve tried to write a paper but haven’t been able to actually start because every time I sit down I can’t focus. I try to set a timer for 5-7 minutes to just word-vomit either on my laptop or on some notepaper, and it honestly gets me through the toughest assignments. Try it sometime! After you’ve at least started something, set a longer timer and see how you can develop it in 15 or 20 minutes. When your time is up, move to the next thing. Give it a chance, and I hope that soon you’ll find whipping out papers and projects a bit easier.
-
Study with 1-2 close friends. It is as simple as grabbing someone and finding a quiet spot to just work. Your friend does not have to be in the same classes as you. You don’t even have to work on similar things. You just have to be able to coexist in the same space without distracting each other. This is a great strategy for me for two main reasons: a) my friend holds me accountable and vice versa; and b) it is easier for me to study if I see someone else also studying, too. My best friend and I do this all the time, in various places. Sometimes I join her in the art building while she is working on projects and I’m writing papers and sometimes she finds me in the library and she sketches while I collect research. We don’t talk much. We don’t distract each other. Sometimes we listen to music. Just being together while we work is encouraging.
-
Listen to music while you work. Listening to music is one of my favorite things to do, and listening to the right music helps me get more work done. Music drowns out the world around me so I can focus and get in my “zone.” I don’t listen to just any music, though. Anything with lyrics is out because I get too easily distracted. Most of my study jams consist of instrumental music, including movie and TV scores (think Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones, Pride and Prejudice, and Howl’s Moving Castle), classical music, stuff by the Piano Guys, and other piano or string instrument covers of songs. Sometimes I even fit the music to my mood or activity; if I’m reading for an English class I’ll usually play relaxed music, like the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack (movie or miniseries), but if I’m writing a paper I usually play more intense or “adventurous” music, like the Pirates of the Carribean score. I go to YouTube to find steady streams of good music, and if you type “no ads” in your search you might get some unexpected results (I found a playlist of the most beautiful piano covers of the songs from La La Land).
-
Have a snack. Or two. Or three. Reward yourself! After I’ve been writing or researching for a while, I like to take a break with an apple or some crackers and cheese. It gives me a brain break, gives me some more energy, and lets me slow down and enjoy something that isn’t homework. Sometimes I’ll use a Reese’s cup to give myself something to work toward. Again, small goals are so good, people.
-
Work someplace that is not your room. Seriously, though. I cannot work in my room because nine times out of 10, I fall asleep, even if I’m not particularly tired. It’s like my brain just says, “Oh, there’s the bed. Must be sleepy-time. G’night!” Then my work does not get done because I use up my time sleeping. I get so much more work done just moving to a different room.
Finally, the strategy that does not work for me is this: all-nighters. No matter how much coffee I drink or sugar I consume, my eyelids start to droop and my brainwaves–and my work–degenerate even as I fill more pages. I have successfully completed projects and important homework assignments by staying up all night, but I have not completed a successful project or homework assignment during an all-nighter. Any sleep is better than none, people. If you have to take a catnap with all the lights on to make sure you can still wake up in time to finish, then do it. If you need to set 5 different obnoxious alarms, do it. Just get that sleep someway, somehow. You’ll feel better and your work will be better.
I hope that my trial-and-error produced a list that helps at least some of you find your productive groove. Happy studying! I’m off to write another paper.