The amount of information a modern person processes on a daily basis is immense. It may seem like our memory is infinite, yet, the typical content we absorb from social media and other online resources are mostly bite-sized posts. At least, such posts gather more attention than anything else.
When it comes to reading new lecture material though, the information stops being that enticing. The difference is that here, you need to constantly think and analyze. You must retain as many details as possible, that’s why understanding what you’ve just read is also important. Meanwhile, not everyone tries to find why this or that thing from a post should be funny. Most just scroll down the feed.
Here is one more difference: nobody demands answers from you after reading a tweet. And when you’re overloaded with school tasks that require time to complete and even more time to read background literature, the pressure just makes everything worse. That’s why we’ve prepared 6 tips for you to know how to learn faster, easier, and better. Here we go!
Delegate Some Assignments
To study faster, you need to get rid of what takes most of your time if that’s possible. So, if you’d rather focus on researching a new topic instead of completing a case study, use the opportunity students didn’t use to have only a few decades ago! In general, academic writing services can save you a whole lot of time if you place orders beforehand and provide enough instructions.
There are two options:
● order a major assignment like a thesis so that you don’t have to go over numerous corrections from your professor
● delegate all the minor written tasks to focus on the major one In the first case, a paper writing service expert will handle all the tedious work like formatting and referencing – those take forever. In the second, you can address several writers to ace your papers (just make sure they follow one writing style). Or, you can just place orders for all the written tasks! However, it’s highly recommended that you complete one from time to time so as not to lose your writing skills.
Split Learning in Chunks
Looking at a voluminous book you need to cram helps mostly with one thing: looking for ways to procrastinate or a loophole. Yet, look at it from a different angle. How many days do you have to process it? How many chapters are there? How many pages can you process every day? You can finish the formula yourself.
Just do simple math and cut corners with some topics if you can’t manage it all. After a day or two, revise the information you’ve been acquainted with before. Make sure you do not skip days or take too long breaks. If you do not revise what you’ve learned recently in time, that information won’t make it to your long-term memory.
Identify Your Strengths For instance, you may have the golden time of productivity – like having inspiration in the evening or comprehending new material better after going to the gym. Such features and skills are unique for every person. So, experiment! Try various schedules and pay attention to the days when you’re especially fast, energetic, and inspired. Based on your observations, you will be able to use your own strengths when it’s particularly hard to keep on going.
Study With Classmates
To avoid cramming, consider cooperating with those who have to deal with the same tasks as you do – your classmates. Explaining various concepts to each other is a much easier way to retain information than reading it over and over again. It’s like learning a language. Sure, you can write down unknown words, use flashcards, and so on, but joining a speaking club would be much more effective, less boring, and not that time- and effort-consuming.
If you don’t have the opportunity to study with others, use the rubber-duck method. Traditionally, you literally take a rubber duck and tell it what you’ve just learned or need to remember. But it can be any other person, an object, or even your pet. The method is especially useful when you can’t solve a problem and even more efficient if you write down your question and add as many details as possible. Eventually, by going into detail, you’ll find the answer in your own explanations.
Don’t Push Yourself
Regular breaks are a must if you need to process a huge load of learning material. The same refers to situations when you struggle to solve a math problem or understand a particular concept. Sitting in front of your desk for hours doesn’t work well in this case. So, go unwind, do some chores, complete other assignments, or address your primary needs.
The latter is of utmost importance, by the way. When you have a headache or you’re hungry, your mind doesn’t let you focus on some secondary stuff. So, first of all, scrub up, eat, take on comfortable clothes, clean up, and only after that, start working on your assignments. The mind and body you take care of will do the same for you!
Final Tip
The final recommendation would be to master skimming. Not all the information in books and guidelines is that essential, but one may get stuck with a specific page, trying to read it over and over again but all in vain. Besides, some students don’t even start reading some material not being sure they can make it on time. It promotes procrastination. Yet, the most important food for thought comes from literature. The more of it you have read, the more ideas and points of view you are aware of.
As you can see, the key is getting rid of the most time-consuming aspects of learning. That is a sure way to focus on what really matters, not waste your effort and time, and still succeed!