I know I”ve talked about implementing our intentions before, but it is worth repeating. If we are going to study “when we feel like it”, it won’t happen. But, a simple plan can almost triple our chances of following through. A simple intention on paper (whether digital or physical): I will study for 30 minutes…
Category: Study Skills
Study Skill #5: Take a Walk
Sometimes, I get stuck on a problem and can’t solve it no matter how hard I try. Then I take a break, take a nap or go for a walk and when I come back I have the answer. Why is this? We need both focused thinking where we are concentrating on a single problem,…
Study Skill #4: Naps
This study skill is similar, yet different from the last study skill. Naps can give you a quick boost of energy which helps you keep studying. Short 10-20 minute naps can boost alertness and cognitive function. Longer 60-90 minutes naps can help you hit “save” on the information you are studying, but can run the…
Study Skill #2: What is it that I don’t understand?
Thomas Frank, the self-proclaimed “College Info Geek”, recommends a tactic from Dale Corson, a former President of Cornell Univeristy. He advised students to work through their problem one sentence at a time, asking: “What is that I don’t understand?”. This allows the students to be able to point to exactly what they don’t understand when…
Study Skill #1: Visualization
I have been learning about how to study more effectively. For the next few blog posts, I would like to look at some of the things I learned. The first is using visualization for memorizing things. I got the idea from a TED talk where they said to attach something you want to memorize, a…