How to study more effectively.

1. Remove distractions - put that phone away!

This is probably the simplest yet hardest thing to do. We are constantly bombarded with beeps, flashes, and vibrating alerts - all begging for your attention, and I'm only talking about your phone. Do you know why those little circle alerts on your apps are red? It's simply because people are far more stimulated by the color RED! - all apps are designed with psychological hooks in mind to grab your attention. I'm sure you, too, can't take your mind of the phone once you see that nice enticing red dot on your screen. So, when you plan to get some studying done, keep it out of sight so you don't grab that phone unconsciously, as we habitually do.

2. Block study periods - cramming rarely works.

This is a bit dramatic but you get the point.

The ability to focus significantly declines as the time spent studying increases. The best thing to do is to simply study in block periods, i.e. divide a set amount of time into study/break periods. The pomodoro technique works well - but DO NOT download an app and use it on your phone, unless you've got some serious discipline. I recommend buying a relatively inexpensive physical, simple timer - they're like five bucks the last time I checked. Then, study for 20 minutes at a time (unless you're in the flow state) with 10 minute breaks and write down how many you've done with checks - also known as the chain method. If you can focus for longer periods, that's fine, but the whole point is to reduce fatigue and increase focus endurance.

The chain method - advocated by some of the most elite performers in their fields, from professional memory champions to famous comedians - is a great way to measure progress, and it also give you a visualization of how much you have studied, which is usually very abstract. It is related to the kaizen philosophy and the compound effect, both of which I highly regard and adhere to - if you want to know more about this, message me. I know the techniques may seem silly, but try it - I still do ( I've ran over 2,000kms and did over 25,000 pull-ups since starting this).

3. Break down how much, and tackle it a bit at a time

I think this is key to reducing procrastination, something we all - including me - suffer from.

Breaking down how much you have to study or how much you have to read, write, or whatever reduces the ambiguity of how long something will take. For instance, if you know you have to read 100 pages this week, then you know should read approximately 14 pages a day or 7 pages in the morning and 7 pages at night or about 1 page every hour when you're awake. The whole point is to break it down in to manageable proportions, so you are conscious of how much you have to accomplish. Trust me, this is highly effective. If you have write a 10 page essay with in a certain amount of time, break it down, schedule it in. You're more likely to attempt it, if the amount you have to finish for that time period is more manageable. But if you have to write 10 pages in one sitting, it'll be more daunting and you'll delay, procrastinate until you're frustrated, contemplating calling in sick the next day -- we've all done this, and yes, I have done it too.

In short, break it down in to tiny pieces and again, use the chain method to visualize how much you have done and how much needs to be done. Try it. Remember what I said in class? How do you eat an elephant, one bite at a time. This is figurative language. Do not eat elephants.

4. Review - review, review, and review some more.

I can't emphasize this enough. There are many stages to learning, but I think the most important part is to constantly review. Not only does reviewing increase retention and duration of information (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve) but it also may deepen what you have taken in; that is, your brain may make more connections and find relationships to other things you may have learned prior, giving you a greater, enhanced understanding of the subject matter. In addition, taking multiple looks at what you have studied will bolster neural connections, which results in increased speed and recall.

5. Sleep - it's your super drug and it's FREE!

This is something kids brush off and I understand because when I was younger, I didn't care much for sleep. We don't precisely know why we sleep, but adequate sleep improves memory, immune system functions, mood regulation, heart rate, maintain body weight, reduces stress...and tons more. While you sleep, the brain organizes what you've learned and flushes out all the garbage that you don't need - this is not an exaggeration as studies have shown that people who sleep less have "plaque" build up in their brains. So, if you've been studying hard, you need to give the brain a chance to sort all that out. It's like eating a lot of food, your stomach needs time to digest all that.

You many think you're okay getting by on 4-6 hours of sleep, but studies conducted on pro-gamers show that they performed significantly worse after the third day or so with less than 7-8 hours of sleep. So put down that smartphone and catch some extra Zs. You studying an extra hour when you're exhausted will probably do more harm than good.