In this article, you'll find six scientific strategies that will help you study smarter, faster, and better.
When studying becomes torture, our brain creates resistance, making you procrastinate and making it harder to concentrate. That's why it's essential to improve your study habits.
Your brain likes new things and only pays attention to fun things, which means that the only way to release more dopamine and retain information is to make studying a fun or novel task.
But how? If studying is the most boring thing in the universe?
Here are some tips to put into practice:
We tend to procrastinate because we see it as a huge task to complete. Instead, spacing out study times helps you absorb information better.
This technique involves breaking information into small chunks and reviewing them consistently over a long period.
Studying and any different activity that requires your full attention is similar to lifting weights in the gym - you do a few repetitions and then rest a little, so your muscles can continue. The same goes for your brain, it gradually gets exhausted, and your anxiety levels increase. Therefore, it is important to space out your study times to give your mind a well-deserved break.
Constantly changing places will help you concentrate better and relate a new experience to the information, which improves learning and retention and forces you to take short, much-needed breaks.
According to one study, every time we move (from the library to the coffee shop or from the coffee shop to the comfort of your couch), we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so that it becomes a stronger memory.
Personally, this technique is one of my favorites. I have seen my productivity improve as I move more and avoid sitting for long periods, which relates to the following strategy.
Neuroscientific research shows that our brain needs to highlight the most important subject points for information retention. People related to text writing, for example, papers writers, know how important it is to summarize the information they've read and how it is valuable for memorizing
It also helps you to review the same concepts later simply and practically.
Your brain consumes too much energy and calories when studying. That's why the flow of glucose to your brain must be constant. It doesn't mean eating anything sugary like candy, energy drinks, or biscuits until you're bursting. It's about eating healthy food that contains fiber.
A piece of fruit is an excellent choice to eat between your study sessions.
It will provide the necessary glucose but, thanks to the fiber present, it will be absorbed slowly, which keeps your brain's attention focused.
Another excellent pre-exam snack is nuts. According to one study, their healthy fat content helps you concentrate better during the test.
So a handful of nuts (preferably unsalted and not fried) such as walnuts, almonds, or pistachios will be an excellent choice.
If you have to choose a way to start improving your whole life, you need just start to exercise. It's a habit I thoroughly recommend to because of its many benefits, including the benefits to your brain.
Exercise creates, enhances, and strengthens neural connections, which means that in the short term, exercise can help you retain the information you need to pass that upcoming exam. According to several studies, after an exercise session, your brain can better retain new information.
Getting some exercise is an excellent solution because it will also help reduce the stress and anxiety that studying can create.
That's it! Now you have many effective strategies that will help you study healthily, make the most of your time and energy, and, above all, will help you get the best grade in your next exam.
When studying becomes torture, our brain creates resistance, making you procrastinate and making it harder to concentrate. That's why it's essential to improve your study habits.
Strategy 1: Make the information new and fun
Your brain likes new things and only pays attention to fun things, which means that the only way to release more dopamine and retain information is to make studying a fun or novel task.
But how? If studying is the most boring thing in the universe?
Here are some tips to put into practice:
- Buy colored markers to underline the most important information.
- Create a story from the details you need to remember. A story makes the information more meaningful, which will help you give it a new twist that will engage your brain.
- Read all the information and record it on audio, then listen to the audio and follow the reading, so you mentally store the data in two ways: visually and aurally.
- Draw the information in graphs or mind maps. It allows you to visualize the written concepts in a new way and understand the information (not just memorize it).
Strategy 2: Separate study times
We tend to procrastinate because we see it as a huge task to complete. Instead, spacing out study times helps you absorb information better.
This technique involves breaking information into small chunks and reviewing them consistently over a long period.
Studying and any different activity that requires your full attention is similar to lifting weights in the gym - you do a few repetitions and then rest a little, so your muscles can continue. The same goes for your brain, it gradually gets exhausted, and your anxiety levels increase. Therefore, it is important to space out your study times to give your mind a well-deserved break.
Strategy 3: Study in different places
Constantly changing places will help you concentrate better and relate a new experience to the information, which improves learning and retention and forces you to take short, much-needed breaks.
According to one study, every time we move (from the library to the coffee shop or from the coffee shop to the comfort of your couch), we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so that it becomes a stronger memory.
Personally, this technique is one of my favorites. I have seen my productivity improve as I move more and avoid sitting for long periods, which relates to the following strategy.
Strategy 4: Summarize the points in 140 characters
Neuroscientific research shows that our brain needs to highlight the most important subject points for information retention. People related to text writing, for example, papers writers, know how important it is to summarize the information they've read and how it is valuable for memorizing
It also helps you to review the same concepts later simply and practically.
Strategy 5: Eat something healthy during your breaks!
Your brain consumes too much energy and calories when studying. That's why the flow of glucose to your brain must be constant. It doesn't mean eating anything sugary like candy, energy drinks, or biscuits until you're bursting. It's about eating healthy food that contains fiber.
A piece of fruit is an excellent choice to eat between your study sessions.
It will provide the necessary glucose but, thanks to the fiber present, it will be absorbed slowly, which keeps your brain's attention focused.
Another excellent pre-exam snack is nuts. According to one study, their healthy fat content helps you concentrate better during the test.
So a handful of nuts (preferably unsalted and not fried) such as walnuts, almonds, or pistachios will be an excellent choice.
Strategy 6: Get some exercise before you start studying
If you have to choose a way to start improving your whole life, you need just start to exercise. It's a habit I thoroughly recommend to because of its many benefits, including the benefits to your brain.
Exercise creates, enhances, and strengthens neural connections, which means that in the short term, exercise can help you retain the information you need to pass that upcoming exam. According to several studies, after an exercise session, your brain can better retain new information.
Getting some exercise is an excellent solution because it will also help reduce the stress and anxiety that studying can create.
That's it! Now you have many effective strategies that will help you study healthily, make the most of your time and energy, and, above all, will help you get the best grade in your next exam.
