5 Study Habits That May Be Doing More Harm Than Good

Learning how to study takes time and practice. Many students are not taught good study skills and instead rely on habits they have picked up over the years or strategies they think might work. As they progress up through the grades and content becomes more challenging, the strategies they were using before might not be as effective.

Here are five habits many students have when it comes to studying and why they may not be that helpful.

Waiting until the last minute to study seems like a good idea because everything will be fresh in your mind, but your brain needs time to process the information. Studying massive amounts of content in a short time can be overwhelming and cause you to forget more than you remember.

Plus, it is exhausting. Staying up all night studying means at least part of the time, you are tired while studying, which can make it harder to focus and concentrate on what you are reviewing. It is also stressful knowing you only have a short period of time to cover everything. By the time you take the test the next day, your mind may feel like mush and you’re not functioning at your best.

Focus on studying a little bit each night over the course of several days leading up to the exam. Plan out what you are going to focus your time on each day and break down big concepts into smaller, more manageable parts. Get a good night’s sleep before the test so you are well rested and ready to go.

Reviewing your notes is great, but that shouldn’t be the only way you study. Rereading the same information becomes monotonous, and you may begin to gloss over important information instead of really absorbing and understanding it.

Change things up by doing a brain dump and writing down everything you know about the topic you are studying. Write down questions as you review your notes and go back to see if you can answer them correctly. Do practice problems or redo worksheets to reinforce skills in a more interactive way.

You don’t have to review every detail every time you study. It is not an effective use of your time to study information that you already know well. Focus instead on concepts or ideas that always trip you up and work through those challenges until you understand the information. Don’t spend too much time and energy on questions you know you’ll get right.

This is a big one for many students. Instead of studying to understand, they study to memorize. The problem with that is that you often forget the information a short time later. Try to make connections between what you are learning now and things you already know. Learn what a formula means and why it works, rather than just knowing if you plug in X, you’ll get Y.

Breaks can be good because your brain needs time to process information, but too many breaks can disrupt your focus. Create a plan to study for at least 30 minutes with no distractions. That means put away your phone, log off of social media, close your computer, turn off the tv, and concentrate on what you need to know for the test. Be in the moment when you are studying rather than trying to multitask and do several things at once. Take a five- or 10-minute break to stretch and clear your mind, then get back to studying.

Crafting Scholars can help you break bad habits when it comes to studying and develop more effective strategies that fit with your learning style, needs, and goals. Work smarter and see the positive impact it can have. Contact us today to learn more and reserve your spot!

Originally published at https://craftingscholars.com on April 4, 2023.