Looking to have a productive study session? Don’t let the thought of endless hours of cramming overwhelm you. With the right tips and tricks, you can conquer every study session and feel good about it afterward. From where you study to what you eat to when you take breaks, these 15 tips and tricks will help you have a perfect study session.
1. Eliminate Distractions
Flickr user University of Minnesota Duluth
This sounds like a no-brainer, but removing distractions (i.e. other humans and technology) is by far one of the most important factors to having a productive study session.
Choose a quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted by people coming and going, like a secluded corner in the library or a quiet room at home. Keep your phone tucked away in your backpack and put it on Do Not Disturb—your text messages and notifications will still be there once your study session is over.
2. Choose an Environment That Will Help You to Focus on Your Studies
Everyone thrives in different environments. What works for your roommate or best friend might not work for you. If you do your best work in your dorm room, clear your desk so only the essentials for that subject are in front of you.
On the other hand, if sitting alone drives you crazy and makes you more distracted, a coffee shop with headphones might be your ideal spot. The key is to choose an environment that suits you—and if you feel the need for a change, don’t hesitate to switch it up!
3. Clear Your Mind
Take a few minutes before you start your study session, or between subjects, to close your eyes and clear your mind of everything else. It may sound crazy, but those few minutes will help you to create the right headspace to focus on what you need to do. Try downloading a mindfulness app on your phone, such as Headspace or Calm.
4. What You’re Munching on Matters
It’s tempting to reach for junk food while studying, but snacks like chips or candy can lead to energy crashes that make it harder to stay focused. Try munching on something crunchy and healthy like carrots, nuts, or fruit to keep your energy levels steady. These foods can keep you alert and going through the day.
5. Stay Hydrated
While it’s common knowledge that eight ounces of water eight times a day will help you stay healthy, did you know that it can also help you stay focused? Multiple studies have found that drinking water can improve brain function and help your brain work more rapidly, which in turn will help you stay focused and retain more information. Drinking water will also help you stay refreshed and awake during your study sessions.
Yes, caffeine is great and for many people, it’s a necessary part of any study session. But just remember, while you can absolutely study with caffeine, don’t forget to keep your emotional support water bottle close by for hydration.
6. Take Breaks
Refusing to take a break while you’re studying is a sure-fire way to feel overloaded and run down during your study session. Allowing yourself at least a five-minute break to walk around or check your email will actually help your brain process all of the information you’ve been studying.
One technique you can try to infuse breaks is the Pomodoro Technique. It involves taking a short break every 25 minutes. Then, after four intervals of 25 minute study sessions, you get to take a longer break (15-30 minutes). This technique has proven to be helpful in maintaining focus and preventing burnout.
7. Choose Your Music Wisely
Many students enjoy studying to some type of music. But did you know that there are certain types of music that can actually improve your brain function? It’s true.
Listening to music without any lyrics works best if you’re reading so you’re not distracted by the words. Listening to video game soundtracks has also been proven to increase your focus. Try out some of our Spotify playlists and see what works for you!
8. Create a System for Taking Notes
It can be incredibly helpful to organize all of your notes in the same way. Not only does it make the information you’re looking for easier to find, but it gives your brain a pattern to follow and a quick way to retrieve information. Try setting a system of colors, indents, tabs, bullet points–whatever works for you–and organize your notes.
Don’t be afraid to tweak! If you’ve been using the same format and it’s suddenly not working (or you’re human and you’re bored), changing up your system can help you refocus.
9. Mindset Matters
Have you ever noticed that if you tell yourself that you don’t want to be somewhere or do something you automatically don’t have a good time? But, if you psych yourself up that everything is going to go well, you tend to have more fun? The same can be said for studying. If you walk into the library feeling like you’ll never make it through all of the work you have to do, chances are you won’t.
Approach your study sessions with positive vibes. Your more cheerful mood will make it easier to get started and stay focused. If you’re studying with a group, your good mood will rub off on them too!
10. Lose the Clutter
Taking a minute to declutter your study area will do wonders for helping you get into the right frame of mind. If you’re studying in your room, spend five to ten minutes tidying up first. If you’re studying in public, don’t put everything you brought with you on your table. Only having the things you need around you while you study will help you to stay focused. Not to mention, the physical act of picking things up is a great way to declutter your thoughts at the same time.
11. Go Through Your Notes ASAP After Class
This can be a tough one, especially if you’ve just gotten out of a two-hour lecture and you’ve got another one coming up in 10 minutes. However, taking a few minutes to review your notes right after class can help cement the new information in your mind. The information will never be as fresh as it is right after you’ve learned it so use that to your advantage.
Helpful Hint: Taking notes by hand during class can help you retain more information and improve your memory. Then, type them up later that day. Doing this will give you an automatic mini-study session and you’ll have a chance to read through things while they’re fresh in your mind. There’s nothing worse than looking over notes you took a week ago and not having a clue what you meant when you wrote them.
12. Stay Well-Rested
Getting enough sleep is vital to brain function. It can be tough to lock in a full eight hours a night though so don’t be afraid to take a nap during the day.
In fact, your brain processes the information stored in your short-term memory while you sleep, so taking a nap after an intense study session or class can actually help you retain more information. Studies say that 20 minutes is just the right amount to recharge, but a full 90 minutes is best.
13. Track Your Progress
There are tons of different ways to track your progress while you’re studying. You can do things the old fashioned way and tick off boxes on a to-do list, or go new-school and use one of the many different study apps available to students.
No matter how you choose to keep track of things, tracking your progress is a good way to keep yourself motivated. There is no better feeling than seeing what felt like an endless to-do list dwindle down to nothing.
14. Reward Yourself for a Solid Study Session
Sometimes finishing a study session can feel like you’ve just finished running a marathon. It’s exhausting, and it can take hours. But if you’ve just finished a solid study session, reward yourself for your hard work!
Whether you reward yourself with screen time, take yourself out for frozen yogurt, or you buy yourself that new fleece pullover you’ve been eyeing, make sure you’re treating yourself for a job well done.
15. Organize Your Study Session Before You Start
Have you ever sat down to study with a pile of books and papers and felt so overwhelmed that you just decided to put it off “one more day”? We’ve all been there. Starting a study session can feel like you’re standing at the bottom of Mount Everest. So… do what the Sherpas do, and make a plan.
Start by setting small, reachable (but challenging) goals for yourself and then organize them into a schedule. If you give yourself a schedule to follow, you only have to tackle the first part of that schedule rather than the whole thing.
The hardest part about studying? Starting. Once you get going, there’s no stopping you. Use these tips and tricks to power through your study session, and when you get that exam or quiz back, you’ll be glad you put in the effort. Remember, every small step you take brings you closer to your goals.
Want more tips, tricks, and tools for conquering college? Take a look at our tips, tools, and advice section!
Ready to see where your hard work can take you? Once you’ve powered through your study session, take the next step and explore your college options. Use our free College Match tool to help you find the perfect college for your needs and goals.
15 is ridiculously true for me.
The difference between my good study sessions and my bad ones seem to come down to how well prepared I was for it before starting.