What are you really doing when you’re studying?

Author: LWD Team

“Leave me alone Mum, I’m studying!”

But what are you really doing?

Firstly, we need to make a distinction between homework and studying.

Homework includes completing tasks set by your classroom teachers, such as chapter questions and assignments. The purpose is to provide extra practice in order to reinforce what you have learned at school.

In contrast, studying is the time you set aside independently to review the content and concepts you have learned. It includes reading, writing notes, and drawing up visual aids to help you understand the key knowledge in your subject/s, so that you don’t procrastinate come exam time.

Yet, It’s easy to spend three hours staring at your books and still feel like you haven’t achieved much.

You might have noticed that it is easier to stay engaged and motivated when you’re doing a set homework task than when you’re studying.

This is because there is a clear final destination: you know when you’ve completed your homework. However, when you’re revising content and practising your writing, there’s not always a clear end goal.

The best way to overcome this is to turn study into what feels like homework. Set clear tasks and objectives for yourself.

This might involve doing some of the harder questions in the textbook, doing a practice exam, or setting out the number of paragraphs you’re going to write. Making a list can be a good way to assist in this process.

Here are some additional tips that you may find effective:

1.    Choose a suitable study space – Find a quiet place, away from noisy brothers and sisters, and ensure you switch off all electronic devices or notifications on your phones and laptops.

2.    Create a study planner – Its’ really important that you set aside regular times in your routine for study. Block out certain days and/or times, so that it becomes habitual.

3.    Take short breaks and be sure to reward your efforts – there is no point trying to out stare your books because you will never win. So from time to time, get up, have a stretch and reward yourself with a quick walk around the block or a treat or two from the biscuit tin!

4.    Sleep!!! Though you can’t study when you sleep, it makes a world of difference to your performance when you are well rested and alert. Studying at 2am, or worse still, playing Warcraft at 2am will not help keep you at a peak study performance level.

Add some structure to your study, take regular breaks and sleep well at night and you’ll notice that you achieve a lot more when it comes to your 'study time.'