How can you find the motivation to study at university and prepare for your exams? Let’s see how the best tips to fight apathy and start dedicating time to books again.
Create A Study Plan
One of the most useful tips we want to give you to regain the desire to study is to create a study plan. But what exactly is it about?
You will have to think locally about the exams to be prepared, understand which ones you would like to take in the first user session, and create a roadmap for the study, essential for marking the times and achieving well-defined objectives.
But let’s see how to proceed step by step:
- Make a list of all the exams to be taken and the sessions available to you.
- Divide the exams equally for all available sessions.
- Choose the exams to be given in the first useful session.
- Get the didactic program relating to the exams to be taken.
- Create an effective and realistic study plan, setting yourself daily and weekly goals. For example, you might decide to study 3 chapters of a manual in 4 hours and spend half your day preparing for this exam.
Try to make a study program that fits your actual needs and lifestyle, so as not to run into mistakes that are difficult to recover from. Always consider that the unexpected can be around the corner and have a plan. Like if you forget about an important essay, you need to have a professional essay writer up in your sleeve.
Planning the study will help you not to procrastinate, and to have tangible goals to work on in order to start studying again successfully.
Eliminate Distractions
” I can’t study, I get distracted “: this is another of your standard phrases. The best thing to do is to eliminate all forms of distraction. Where to start?
Ask yourself what distracts you most often: cell phone use, social media, background noise? Once you’ve identified the distraction, isolate it.
While studying, keep your cell phone away from you, turn off automatic notifications on your computer, and do anything that can cause you to distract attention. If you give in to the temptation to visit particular websites, use a system that is able to block browsing temporarily.
If, on the other hand, you tend to multitask, try to free yourself from this habit: tackling one thing at a time and doing the tasks that are due to you individually is the best way to do them at their best.
Review Your Environment
To find the desire to study the environment in which you find yourself is fundamental. Choosing a quiet study environment is ideal for creating the right atmosphere to concentrate. Choose places that are very quiet and free of distractions. When the urge to study is at its lowest, the most insignificant noise can distract you.
Organize your desk: leave only the essentials for studying such as books, notepads, note sheets, colored pencils, and highlighters. If studying at home is tight on you, try going to the library or, if you prefer, outside in a park. Changing your environment often can certainly be a stimulating factor for your preparation.
Learn To Manage Time (And Breaks)
For a truly effective study, it is very important to know how to manage time and breaks well. The breaks, in fact, help to regain concentration and not to be overwhelmed by the number of tasks to be performed.
An effective technique that can help you is the so-called tomato technique. How does it work? Let’s see it right away:
- Get a “Pomodoro”, which is a banal kitchen timer that can be easily found in any hypermarket or household goods store.
- Divide your study sessions into 25-minute intervals.
- Set the timer for 25 minutes and during this time do not get distracted for any reason. If you get distracted, you will have to reset the timer from the beginning.
- After the 25 minutes of study, give yourself a 5-minute break and then start again for another 4 tomatoes.
- After 4 tomatoes, take a 10–20-minute break.
Once you have finished all the “tomatoes” of the day, take a break to dedicate to what you like best: a run in the park, a game of soccer, or an aperitif with friends. Disconnecting completely helps you to settle what you have learned and recharge your batteries for the next study session.
Clarify Your Why
To get straight to the goal, remember why you want to do it. What prompted you to start your studies? Thinking about your motivation and what drives you to commit yourself is essential to regain the desire to study and concentrate to get where you want.