by Amber Hilton

Created on: May 26, 2007

In order to make the most of your time when studying, you need to have a plan. Your plan should consider:

-WHEN you are going to study
-WHERE you are going to study
-WHAT you are going to study
-HOW you are going to study

WHEN - Whenever possible, you should plan your study sessions for the time of day when you are most alert and motivated. If you are a night person, you shouldn't expect yourself to be very productive during an a.m. study session and vice versa. What might take you only 20 minutes to study when you are at your most alert may take you an hour when you are tired and unable to concentrate.

WHERE - Some students insist that they can study in crowded places with music blaring, but I find this hard to believe. You will get the most out of your study time when there are few distractions to interrupt your concentration and focus. A quiet corner of the university library always worked the best for me. If you study around your friends, you may be tempted to join in with their conversations or give up on your studying all together to do something more fun. Having music or the television playing in the background can cause your mind to wander.

WHAT - Before beginning any study session, you should take a few minutes to prioritize. Make a list of everything you have to do and when you need to have it completed by. Then estimate how long each task will take you to complete so that you can plan your schedule accordingly. When studying, it is tempting to attempt the easiest and most interesting subjects first and save the more difficult and boring subjects for last, even if they are more important or due the soonest. This can result in the more difficult subjects never being tackled. Doing things in order of their priority will help insure that you turn your assignments in on time and are well-prepared for exams.

HOW - In order to make the most of your study time, you should try to schedule short study sessions rather than long ones. One to two hours is ideal, because it is long enough for you to make some good progress, but not so long that you begin to lose focus.

Of course, there are instances where you will need to study or work on homework for much longer than a few hours. In these cases, make sure that you are taking frequent breaks. Every 30 minutes to an hour, get up and stretch your legs to avoid stiffness and muscle cramps. Moving around a bit will get your metabolism going and leave you feeling more energized. A small snack that is high in protein and low in sugar is also a good way to boost your energy. Avoid coffee, soda and energy drinks that will give you a short high followed by a devastating crash a few hours later.

Don't forget, you can also take advantage of time spent waiting, traveling or even at work when you don't have anything to do. Ten minutes here and there that would otherwise be spent surfing the web or reading a magazine can add up quickly. You will have more time for fun activities if you make use of this time that would otherwise be wasted.

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