6 Ways to Study Smarter, Not Harder

Many students who get high grades do not necessarily study more than others. It may be easy to think that spending more time studying will give you better results when it comes to your studies but this is not the actual truth. Of course, by studying more you will process more information in theory, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will learn more.

Studying harder is not the best option. Instead, it’s a lot better if we study smarter, as this maximizes our learning. By using a good study technique, we may even need to study less, and we might even end up learning more all while leading a balanced life.

Below, we look at some ways that can help you study smarter and learn more effectively.

Obtain Regular Study Habits

The best way to get something done is to make it a habit. Get routines with the times and places you study. Think of your studies as going to work, but with the freedom that you can decide for yourself when to do this. If you study full-time, in practice this means that you spend about 40 hours a week on your studies.

Put the hours in blocks that follow a pattern, for example, a few hours in the morning and then a session in the evening, in the middle of the day, or what now suits your life and your study method best. 

The main thing is that you get into a routine, and do not sit down to catch up on your studies when there is little time left. It’s easier to do things when they are part of a routine.

Take Advantage of Online Resources

Asking for help and studying with others can be one of the best ways to prepare yourself for an important exam. If, for instance, you have difficulties with solving math problems, studying groups and tutors might be great options for you, as they are both great ways to make sure you’re well-prepared for a challenging test and keep up with others in your class. 

To improve overall performance and boost your overall grades, nowadays you can get math homework online assistance very easily and tackle any problems early on with the support of experienced math tutors who will tailor their lectures to meet your specific needs.

Practice Meditation or Other Activities

Before important exams, everyone tends to feel a little bit of panic, stress, and sometimes even anxiety. Fortunately, today there are different ways to reduce stress and increase focus and calmness. One of them is by practicing meditation.

Studies have shown that as little as 10-15 minutes of meditation per day increases your study results significantly. Besides meditation, many go jogging, turn to religion, and exercise that helps them blow off steam and relax. 

Also, a simple thing like experiencing a moment of greatness can improve a person’s level of concentration, and overall well-being and prepare them mentally to sit and focus on the task at hand.

Take Notes

Taking notes is a classic and very effective tool for retaining information. We simply find it easier to remember things we have written down. Create a structure for notes taking. Include keywords, terms, important names and numbers, key themes, and especially the things you do not understand so you can go back later and check them out.

The notes are also good to have for another very important study technique – repetition. To assimilate knowledge, you need to go through all the information several times. Go back to your old notes and replenish your knowledge one more time, and then homework and tests will be much easier.

Learn by Teaching Others

Learning by teaching others is another great way to learn smarter. Try to explain the material in your own words, as if you’re the teacher. This can be done in a study group, with a study partner, or by yourself. 

By using your own words and trying to explain what you’re studying, you will find areas where you need to improve and it’s a good way to test yourself. The Feynman technique is a method that is very much based on teaching others. It’s a very effective method for learning a concept or subject in depth.

The reason why you learn better when you teach someone else is that you have to use simpler words when explaining to someone completely new to the subject. This also means that you learn the concept better.

Try Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a study technique where you examine the content that you are trying to learn with increased time intervals. It makes it easier to memorize what you are trying to learn.

By practicing spaced repetition, you can maintain the same amount of information without having to study the same number of hours.

Final Thoughts

Studying smart is all about cultivating your strengths and developing healthy study habits. Try out these study techniques and see what best works for you. Soon enough you will study more efficiently and get much better results.