We all know the feeling: midterms are just around the corner. Your textbook has been collecting dust. And you know just sitting there and staring at it isn’t going to get you those high marks. Reality hits you—it’s cram time.
Maybe you read for five hours straight. Maybe you don’t get any sleep that night. But what if you never had to cram in the first place?
Oftentimes, students will procrastinate the night before because it has worked in the past— until it doesn’t. There comes a time when cramming, all-nighters, and unnecessary hours become unsustainable. Something needs to change, whether it’s having too much on your plate, poor time management, or inefficient studying…
If that’s the culprit, then these study tips are for you!
1) Use psychology to your advantage
Without much effort, our memories can store the smallest of details— when they’re related to topics we’re already interested in. Maybe you’re a Swiftie who knows all of her lyrics by heart, or you’re a film nerd with videographic memory of oddly specific movie scenes. But you can’t remember formulas for the life of you. Why?
We learn through associations. Unlike computers, databases, or libraries, our memories don’t store information in neat little compartments. Instead, our memories are vast, jumbled but amazingly efficient networks of associations, and those little details we remember are tied to emotions, stories, and retrieval cues. Think of it like a web, where one memory branches off into five others, which branch off into more, etc…
Many of us try to memorize individual facts like a robot: detached and impersonal. But we’re human! We should be using our big, complex brains to our advantage.
To store information in your long-term memory, try to make associations in whatever you are learning. You could…
- Make it personal to you & associate it with your own life
- Use mnemonics to associate information with acronyms & memorable phrases (e.g. PEMDAS = Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)
- Read memorable examples associated with confusing concepts
- Have conversations with others about what you’re learning
Whatever wacky connections you can make, make them. Heck, I had so much trouble memorizing calculus formulas in high school that I assigned personality traits to those trig functions. Call me crazy, but you bet I aced that class.
2) START EARLY
I’ll speak for myself: there’s nothing I hate more than the feeling of deadlines looming over my shoulder. And yet, by procrastinating, I stretch out that feeling to the max.
The hardest part is getting started. But once the gears start turning, you chug along full speed ahead and, next thing you know, you’ve reached your destination. By getting started early, you avoid being overwhelmed later because you’re able to set smaller, achievable goals over time. Remember: due dates aren’t “do” dates!
3) beat the forgetting curve
Within the first few days of learning new material, we forget the majority of it. That’s the forgetting curve: an initial steep drop in knowledge during the first few days of learning which eventually tapers off later.
That’s why it’s so important to regularly reinforce your learning through chunked review sessions. A little bit of review once and a while is much more effective than one huge session; plus, it’s way more manageable!
4) Make your time count
Longer hours don’t equal better studying. Try to set your own deadlines in realistic chunks: “I’ll read 20 pages by 6:00 PM and complete this assignment by 6:45.” Setting small, achievable goals to conquer will make it easier to stay motivated and focused.
And once you’ve lost stamina, stop! You need a break. Any more studying could just mean wasted time because you risk not absorbing anything with a clouded mind. Plus, you’re losing valuable resting time. Lose-lose. It’s a slippery slope if you start telling yourself “I could be using this time to study” at 1:00 AM. Never feel guilty if you need to replenish!
5) PLAN.
When there’s too much work to juggle, prioritization is a must. Planners come in handy here.
You could use Notion (my go-to productivity app!) and create your own personalized planners. (Psst— for you creatives out there, you could also have fun designing your own workspace!)
You could also go the classic Google route with Google Calendars or Google Keep.
Or, go with the holy grail: good, old-fashioned paper sticky notes. It’s a great option for daily to-do lists because such small writing space forces you to write down only your utmost priorities rather than being so overwhelmed with the details. Plus, you get a sense of reward from crossing out each item.
6) Health first
I’ve had days where I became so absorbed in school work and left campus wondering why I felt so overwhelmed, foggy, unmotivated. Turns out… I hadn’t eaten a decent meal in over five hours.
When under pressure, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters above all: health. You can’t study under unhealthy conditions, and moreover, what’s the point of those high marks if you’re not taking care of yourself?
One missed meal a day doesn’t sound that bad. A few hours of less sleep doesn’t sound that bad. But our bodies are built for routine (like a clock) and those small habits accumulate.
Deliberately set aside time for meals, rest, breathing space. In the moment, you don’t realize how much you need it.
7) Treat yourself
These tips aren’t meant to turn you into some Rory Gilmore grade-obsessed machine. They’re meant to help you spend less time studying while achieving the same (if not, better) results. At the end of the day, academics shouldn’t be all-consuming.
Discipline, routine, information overload… it’s all draining. That’s why it’s so important to have something to look forward to. Between study sessions, treat yourself. Get yourself that nice hot drink. Watch that episode on Netflix. Take that nap. We all deserve a good treat once in a while!
Good luck studying! For more academic advice, be sure to check out the Academics” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Life -> Academics section on HerCampus!