Study habits.?

Question

Any good study tips/regimes? Are there any effective ways to improve concentration and focus?

Answer 1

I advise my students to learn some of the principles of time management. There are many web sources available, and I've included a link to one of my favorites.

Answer 2

This is self discaplin...if you want to see how good you are and at the same time improve on you concentraion you should place a chair two meters away from a wall on which you hang a piece of paper with a red spot on it the height of the spot when you are sitting down should be exactly the height of your eyes...you should for the first day only sit in front of this for five minutes maybe even for the first few days...eventually increasing the time that you stay there after a while if you are true to your self you can sit in front of this and all sounds around you will dissapeer if you are living with someone you should explain what you are doing before you start nobody should have the possabillity to disturb you...the question that you ask is easy but the answer not so ...this form of learning how to concentrate is very serious and time taking...Many years ago i learned to do this when i was in the school the teacher of our class wanted to see who could hang(with 2 hands) on the climbing bars on the wall with feet hanging above the ground we were eight people I won i picked a spot on the wall and didn't take my eyes of it untill the Teacher had to shake me and help[ down from the bars i was so concentrated on that spot that i didn't even hear him talk to me..

Answer 3

Develop the habit of doing some every day. Some days you will feel like doing a lot, some days you will not feel like doing it at all. On the days you feel like working, work all day. On the days you don't feel like working only do a little, perahps half an hour or an hour. I have used this method for many years and learned many subjects to an advanced level. If you don't really feel like working you won't concentrate no matter what you try. There will be phases when you never want to work, in which case try changing your study time (first thing, afternoon, early evening, even last thing in bed). You'll get there.

Answer 4

The link provided above to the Dartmouth site gives you lots of great tips and tools.

Re: improving concentration and focus, I don't know of any drills or exercises, but I would suggest you keep in mind the basics: eat well -- including plenty of fruits and vegetables, take multi-vitamins (ie once a day), stay physically active (exercise, play a sport, etc.) and get enough sleep. Add to this: lay off/be careful re: excessive partying -- drinking, etc. No doubt good physical/mental health have something to do with your ability to concentrate and focus.

Answer 5

In many years of being a student through to a PhD and now a teacher, my five most useful tips are:

1. If your information base is coming from lectures, discussions, seminars, record them for analytical work later and in the meantime, just listen intently and participate intensively -- don't take notes. Listen and follow along. Note interesting things in your mind ( this develops your memory as well ). When you study later, transcribe the input or take notes from it. You can stop, go back, clarify as you wish.

2. If you information is coming from readings, first scan the text and block it out in sections no more than a few paragraphs. Then go back and read each block one at a time, highlight the essentials, turn them into questions ( unless they are questions, then answer them or flag them to answer). Give each block a descriptive title once it is thoroughly understood. By the way, almost everyone, myself included, works better from hard-copy than with documents onscreen, but you should experiment to see what works for you.

3. For output activities like writing, designing, etc. Start with your final aim for your study session, then plan backwards to identify phases with subordinate aims. Each phase should have an aim that contributes to the final aim. Write up a checklist of your aims and how to test aims achievement. Let's say you need to do research to write a report. Maybe your first aim is to identify things up in databases and libraries you will use. Your second aim is to extract the useful information and put it into a usable form, the third aim is to write a rough draft. I'd limit total study time to four hours or less, and not concentrate on something for more than thirty minutes, more or less. Then get up, stare into space, meditate, stretch, whatever works for you, but it should include some physical activity and some deep breathing. Oxygen really works. This keeps your brain at peek performance.

4. Develop a system of organisation! Disorganisation is a killer distraction. Learn how to file things and how to manage information flow. It takes time to organise but it saves so much more time in the long-term.

5. Pay attention to how you work, reflect. There is no correct way. We're all wired differently. Don't listen to other people tell you the best time of day for you to study. Listen to yourself! Identify your weak points and address them. If, for example, you find your attention drifts when you read, make smaller reading blocks until your concentration skills improve.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Plan your time, but not so thoroughly you spend all your revision time planning.

Make sure you take regular breaks, I can't last more than 30-40 minutes without a dip in concentration. Maybe after your half hour, take a walk outside for 5 mins and drink plenty of water.

Don't leave it all to the end! :)

Answer 7

The Good Study Guide is very good - written in plain english and somehow isn't too dull!

Of course, logging onto Yahoo Answers is not good for studying!

Answer 8

Msuic is great help, listen to fast paced music it'll keep you from falling asleep, or (as sad this may sound sorry in advance lol) try making up small phrases to help you remember short pieces of information :)
hope it helps.
Happy studying! :D

Answer 9

drink coffee...just read and try to find some connections between other subjects...and try to prove the formuls...