Question: Tips on studying at home? Been feeling unproductive and burnt out recently :((‍
Overcoming those feelings starts with feeling like you are getting work done and building momentum. Firstly, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the things you need to do, the challenges you are facing are very valid. A lot of other students that I am talking to are feeling the same way as you might be, and I remember countless times when I felt hopeless with exams coming up, both in high school and uni. ‍ There are five things we want to share:
1. Trust the process of consistent effort
- After a few hours of study one day, you won’t feel like you have achieved much. But if you repeat this every day for a week, or a month, you would have made exponential gains.
- However: a single day missed can ruin that process of improvement. Be consistent. ‍
2. Respect every minute
- Make sure you are being intentional with every minute of your day. This means putting in some study at the dinner table while you’re waiting for the food to be ready. It means waking up 10 mins earlier to revise a small section of your notes. It means taking intentional rest periods where you are truly having a break, and not scrolling on your phone in this time.
- Every minute adds up to either help you achieve greatness, or to keep you where you are. ‍
3. Prioritise your weakest areas
- Create a game plan for each subject, know exactly what you are weak in (use your previous school exams, homeworks, LEAP Exams to help you find this).
- Work on bringing your weakest topics and subjects up first. These will give you the biggest jumps in the smallest amount of time. ‍
4. Use alternative modes of studying
- Something that’s helpful for you to learn is online videos. There are some really amazing channels out there that teach concepts in beautiful ways and that can help you understand mnemonics, different perspectives etc. which actually click (especially if the teacher, textbook etc. didn’t the first time).
- Use peer groups - teach your friends, mark each other’s essays and responses, etc. This is frowned upon by students but it is extremely beneficial!
- Use flowcharts, flashcards, drawings, monologues etc. to help you remember detail and concepts ‍
5. Use questions to help you remember concepts
Maybe you have 200+ pages of notes for Physics, Chemistry and Biology each before trials. There is NO way you are going to remember all of it though. Trying to sit down and memorise everything can become a complete waste, because most of it might not even come up in exams.
- Instead, pick up a past paper. Go through it until you hit your first roadblock (content gap). Go back to your notes/resources and write down what you need in order to do that question. Use papers and Project HW/exams to find similar questions, and see if you can use that knowledge to answer those questions. If you can’t, go back to your notes or research online until you get enough information. ‍
Here are some tips and things you can try to overcome physically:
6. Find things that calm you down and get you into the zone
- Light a candle and grab yourself a cup of tea to feel more relaxed and ready to grind
7. Change up your study environments
- ‍This may not work for everyone but study everywhere but your room since in your room you can get distracted easily and may or may not have Netflix at the back of your mind… Studying on the dining table, living room or even in the backyard can help you feel better and make your day not feel super repetitive!
