Let’s be real. There are very few of us who actually like studying. If you happen to be in that minority, then more power to you! The rest of us mortals will forever be astounded at how easy school is for you hahaha.
The rest of us — most of us — would appreciate everything and anything that makes studying a bit easier. And since Kidspiration wants to inspire kids to love learning, it would make sense for us to give you some advice on how to get a bit closer to that goal. So here it goes: pick a regular place and time to study!
Why?
You might say: “Picking a regular place and time? How’s that gonna make anything easier?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Let me explain. If you regularly choose the same place and the same time to study, your brain will naturally become better disposed toward studying under those circumstances.
Why? Well, we could get into a pretty cool explanation about brain plasticity and how that relates to this topic, but we’ll keep things simple. All you need to know is that whenever we repeat actions, neural pathways are created in the brain that help make that action easier whenever you do it again. That’s why the more you practice a sport or a musical instrument, the better you get at it. It’s also the reason why, if you regularly get up at the same time, your body will naturally start getting up at around that same time on its own, even without an alarm clock. In the same way, if you regularly choose the same place and the same time to study, your brain will naturally become better disposed toward studying under those circumstances. That sets you up for a more effective and more efficient study session.
Where?
So what kind of place should you choose? A place without distractions. That can mean different things depending on what distracts you. In terms of noise, for some people a good location is a super quiet place. However, others can’t focus in complete silence; so, they’ll need a place with a bit of background noise. If you want to put music on, try to make it instrumental. If the music has lyrics, most of the time, your brain will pay attention to the words or try to sing along.
Figure out what works for you and look for a place that meets those conditions. Whatever place you pick, try to make it a place that you can regularly use. Make sure that you have access to everything you need at that location (books, computer, internet connection, etc.). Remember that the goal is to use this same place as much as possible. So, pick wisely.
When?
There’s not a hard and fast rule for the best time either. But here are some guidelines. Don’t make it too late in the evening, because you’ll have less energy. You’ve used your energy reserves throughout the day and your body is going to be craving sleep soon. This makes it harder to focus. Not to mention that starting later means finishing later, which in turn leads to later bedtimes or incomplete assignments. Neither of these are good for the next day. So don’t make it too late in the evening.
Make it at a time that you can regularly set aside. This means looking at your schedule to see if there’s a practical time that works every day. This might get tricky, if you have extracurricular activities, but it’s worth it trying to find a time that works every day. If it’s absolutely impossible to pick a good time every day, then do the best you can. If that means one time for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and another time for Tuesdays and Thursdays, then so be it.
Look out for other distractions
We mentioned noise distractions earlier. But distractions can come from more than just noise. Objects and technology can be equally as or more distracting than noise. So many students start working, and then they want to get on Spotify to put music on and end up spending several minutes picking the “right song” or the “right playlist.” Or they think, “I’m just gonna check Facebook really quick” and get sucked into a black hole of social media for at least 40 min. We’ve all done it. The desire for instant gratification turns into a super distracting and time-consuming venture. So, figure out a way to get away from distracting objects or technology, whether it be your T.V., your phone or your computer.
I realize that you can’t always get away from everything. Usually you need your computer to do work. And getting away from your phone isn’t always realistic. So, if you can’t get away from them, then you need to at least figure out ways to mitigate the temptation to use them for things that don’t contribute to your work. Maybe you put your phone on airplane mode to avoid bothersome notifications, or maybe you close all the tabs on your browser (or open a new window), so that you’re not tempted to look at any tabs that are not related to your assignment. If putting your phone on airplane mode isn’t feasible, then consider temporarily logging out of your social media accounts to avoid the notifications. You could also set your phone to not refresh in the background while your studying, or set the distracting apps so that they don’t send you notifications. Whatever you do, try to figure out how to mitigate or get rid of distractions.
One last bit of advice
Unexpected things happen sometimes, and you won’t always be able to follow your routine. And that’s ok. It’s not the end of the world. But try to get back to the routine as soon as you can, so that you can keep reaping the benefits of having a regular place and time to study.
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