Top 10 Back-to-School Study Tips
The back-to-school season is in full swing, and adjusting to a new academic year after 8 weeks of summer sunshine can be tough. Finding your groove managing classes, studying, your family, a social life and (hopefully) 8 hours a night of sleep can certainly feel like a daunting task.
However, a new school year is the perfect time to get a fresh perspective on how to be prepared for anything that comes your way this year! Having a game plan about how you plan to maximize your study hours, find a good routine and manage stressful tasks is key to starting your school year on the right foot.
To help you out, here are our 10 best back-to-school study tips:
1. Set a study routine
It can be beneficial to find a time to do your homework and studying that suits you best and fits in with your schedule (even if it is late at night or early in the morning). Some students prefer to come home from school and get straight into homework while the day’s classes are still fresh, whereas others may want to take a few hours to rest and relax before diving back into schoolwork. By finding a regular time slot that works for you, you can take pressure off yourself and get straight into the task at hand.
2. Get organized early
Take a moment to think how you can steal a head start on your academic work. This can be anything from having a look at your end goals for the year or looking ahead and choosing something to read from your reading lists.
Staying organised is a vital way of keeping on top of your workload. Having a physical or downloaded planner is a great way of keeping track of upcoming assignments and school projects. However don’t forget to add any other commitments you may have such as any clubs, sports and social events so that you can do it all. Iit is often easier to work your school life around your social life rather than the other way round; that way you have something to look forward to without feeling guilty and causing yourself stress.
3. Sleep schedule
As a student you can easily find yourself staying up late and burning the wick at both ends. Late night study cram sessions can be tempting, but one of the simplest and most effective ways of improving your academic performance and concentration is to make sure you are getting enough sleep each night. The recommended amount of sleep for adolescents (13-18 years old ) is between 8-10 hours every 24 hours.
Catching up on sleep can also improve other aspects of your life including your mental health. Things often seem less daunting after a good night’s sleep.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Although sometimes it may not feel like it, your teachers are there to help you and they want you to succeed. If you find yourself falling behind, confused about a new topic in class, or your last test grade wasn’t quite what you had hoped, don’t be afraid to find your teacher at lunch and speak to them about your concerns.
If you are struggling, or needing the extra support, tutoring may be a good option. Some students find group tutoring sessions really helpful, but others may prefer an online tutoring service like UPchieve, which gives you free 1-on-1 tutoring support 24/7.
5. Break down large projects into smaller chunks
When staring at a full schedule it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to begin. Breaking longer projects down into smaller chunks and tackling them over the course of a few days can make that important project feel so much more achievable. Relying on outlines, mindmaps, and subtasks can give you a much more refined, stronger focus.
This can also apply to a particularly busy day, by using techniques such as the ‘Pomodoro method’ ( 25 minutes working and 5 minutes off ) which can be altered to match your optimal concentration span and help you keep a spiralling workload under control.
“The hardest part is starting. Once you get that out of the way, you’ll find the rest of the journey much easier.”
6. Work environments
Studies have shown that the environments you work and study in can have an effect on the amount of information you retain. Changing your study space can be a very effective way of improving your information recall, and can be a great way to improve your mood. Staring at the same wall while studying for hours can make you feel gloomy, so switching it up can be a really powerful study technique. If you’re feeling stuck, try working from the park, library or a new cafe, to unlock a new sense of productivity.
Many students find being surrounded by other “studiers” a great source of motivation too. Ask your classmates if they would like to have a study session to prep for the next class test. You can bounce ideas off each other and it’s a great way to make friends.
7. Meditation
During a busy and stressful academic year, our mental health is not always our top priority and can suffer over time. Taking a few minutes out of each day to meditate, especially away from your phone, is a great way of calming nerves and kindling relaxation. This can be as simple as taking a few seconds to relax and focus on your breath, or following guided meditation practices.
One easy and beginner friendly method of meditation is mindfulness, which is based on bringing your focus to the present moment. This can calm your mental wellbeing, improve your sleep quality, enhance creativity and increase concentration all while reducing stress levels. There are lots of apps and websites out there, such as the one from Mindworks, which can help with guided meditation.
8. Limit screen time
In a world of technology, it is all too simple to be distracted by any number of devices and social media platforms. Imposing either physical or electronic restrictions on your devices can be a great way of maintaining focus and curbing procrastination. This can be achieved by simply turning off your phone or leaving it in another room, or even by setting time limits within apps or on the device itself or asking your parents to intervene.
On your study breaks, try not to go right onto your phone. Social media and most mobile apps bombard your brain with stimulation, making it harder to retain the information you just worked so hard to learn. Instead, try going for a walk while listening to music, doing a chore, or speaking to a friend on the phone.
9. Diet
The foods and drinks that we put into our bodies can have a bigger effect on the performance of our minds and bodies than you might expect. Making sure that you have a balanced diet, and eat regularly, is vital for keeping up concentration and efficacy. This is highlighted during exam season when the stress and pressure levels are higher and your body may be feeling rundown or tired. A healthy diet and staying hydrated should be a useful tool in your study techniques.
10. Study regularly and often
With an upcoming test looming around the corner, it’s easy to find yourself cramming for it the night before. This type of studying may work in the short term, but doesn’t keep a lot of information long term, which can make more work for you when preparing for final tests and exams. Try and spread out your studying over the whole year in bite size chunks that you can easily manage on a daily basis. This will quickly become apart of your routine and help you effortlessly keep on top of your workload.
Final Thoughts on Study Tips for Students
Don’t stress if this seems like a lot to start changing all your study habits at once. Try adding one or two new study tips per week. Every student learns differently, so what works for some high school students may not work for you.
The start of the school year is the best time to figure this out for yourself and set yourself up for success. Need some help figuring out the best study practices for you? Try signing up to speak with an academic coach through UPchieve!
About the Author
This blog was written by the team at My Study Life, the free online digital planner for students. With My Study Life, you can track school-related tasks, store exams, manage classes, and set up reminder notifications. My Study Life is your paper planner, turbocharged!