Back-To-School Study Tips

Well, it's that time of year again.
That time of year when a shopping trip to Staples is better than a shopping trip . . . anywhere else.
That time of year when assignments and deadlines and due dates and cramming becomes common conversation.
That time of year when we make goals . . . and break goals.
It's BACK TO SCHOOL!

Now, this is my third time going into it, and fortunately, I've found a few tips and tricks along the way that have greatly added to my scholastic {and social, believe it or not} life. Use them, change them, or throw them away, but here are Silver's Study Tips.

• Daily Planner

This is my little black book on my entire life. Every class, every appointment, every assignment, every coffee date, yes, every blog post . . . goes into this book. And being the girl that I am, I got a pretty one, not your typical black scheduler. This is a must for the high school/college/university student. 

•  How to Become a Straight A Student

My friend suggested this book to me last summer, and I've actually blogged about it before. I would recommend it to ANY student. Not everything Mr. Newport suggests is applicable, but I learned so much from his books {he has more than one}. Some chapter titles include "Manage Your Time in Five Minutes a Day", "Declare War on Procrastination", and "Choose When, Where, and How Long". Buy it! Read it! Do it!

• Daily Schedule

As per one of Mr. Newport's tips, I do daily schedules. This is different than my daily planner, because I actual plan out every hour of my day. "That sounds like so much work" you say? "That is impossible" you say? Think again. By scheduling my study time, free time, eating time, etc., I actually am more proactive. It's a mentality. I will study hard because I know I have free time. 

Another tip is that I only schedule studying in one hour time-slots. At the end of each hour, I take a 5-10 minute break to get a drink, do a household chore, or check Facebook.  That way I give my brain a bit of a rest before diving back in. This takes five minutes in the morning and radically changes my study habits.

• Coffee

Enough said . . .

• Go Hard

This is something my sister told me awhile back and it stuck with me {the same sister that inductively studied the entire Bible in 9 months}. She said, "When you study, study hard. When you eat, concentrate just on eating. When you exercise, exercise hard. Then, when you rest, rest hard." And that is Biblical, folks. So whatever you do, GO HARD! You can do it. Two years, four years, six years, all time is relevant, and it will be over and done with before you know it.

Let's do this!

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