Genius Tips to Help You Study More Effectively | 8 Genius Study Hacks For Maximum Productivity

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This post is about study hacks.

Keeping up with grades in college is a lot tougher than I bet you are thinking it is. I attended a two year college before going to my four year, and the intensity of the classes at the four year were so much more significant.

The difference between success in these classes and failure comes down to how much work you put in to them, and how much time you alot to studying and working in these classes.

You only have a certain amount of time to study each day. Maximizing this time is absolutely vital to making sure you are able to get everything done, learn what you need to learn, and still have some kind of life outside of studying and school.

This post shows you 8 genius study hacks for maximum productivity.

Study Tips

1. Make a To-do List

When you go into a study session, having a list of what needs to get accomplished can help a lot. I make this list in my planner, and I actually set it up for the whole week according to when I have the most time.

2. Use Quizlet

Quizlet is truly my best friend when it comes to strenuous textbook chapters and hard to remember vocab words. When I rewrite my class notes every night (something I highly recommend) I take that time to make any quizlet flashcards based on the notes.

I study my quizlet categories at least once a day in full, but I find that it’s super easy to go through the quizlet app on my phone in between classes or over lunchtime.

3. Stay Off Other Apps

I use an app called “forest” to keep me off other apps when I study. I really like this app because it allows me to “link” with other friends for a study session, and then both of us have to stay off of our phones in order to let our “tree” grow.

There’s lots of services like this available to you! I found that just turning my phone on do not disturb wasn’t enough, and I needed something to actually make me stay off of other apps.

4. Pick a Productive Space

The space that you choose to study can have a big impact on how productive you are during your study session. You’ll notice a lot of people studying in big groups, but I found this to be extremely distracting for me.

I like to study at the college, at a big table, usually on the second or third floor of the library. Our library is set up where the floors get more and more quiet as you move up floors, and the second one allows talking but is much more calm than the first floor.

Pick a space that works best for you, and also keep in mind that you can choose different spaces depending on what you have to study. I was always able to study in a group if I was just rewriting notes, but not if I was studying for a test or writing an intense paper. See what works best for you!

5. Make Achievable Goals

I used to make extremely long to-do lists when I would first try and sit for long study sessions. The fact is sometimes those are just unattainable goals. Make sure you’re looking at the amount of time you have, and scheduling what you need to study accordingly.

Completing everything on a to-do list for a day gives a really nice feeling of accomplishment, and I know it helps me stay motivated for when I do have really big study days and I have a lot to get done.

Related: Daily Habits That Will Boost Your GPA

6. Take Breaks

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking breaks while you’re studying. In fact, it’s really recommended, and can help give you a fresh perspective or wake you up for the next task on your to-do list.

When it comes to taking breaks, make sure you don’t overestimate your self control. If I were to take a break and watch a youtube video for example, I would be there for the next four hours. I like to stay off my phone during breaks, and go grab a coffee or have a snack and listen to a 20 minute podcast and then get right back to it.

7. Review Every Day

When finals come around, it’s rough. There’s no sugar coating that. During my first year of college, I realized that how much I retained during the school year really mattered and directly affected how well I did on my finals.

You know how I recommend rewriting your class notes every night? This is for two reasons. One, because it helps you retain the information you learned in class so much more. And two, because every week you’ll have condensed, organized notes to look over. When finals come? You’ll have a whole semester’s worth of notes that are organized, condensed, and that you have been studying for the entire semester, already!

8. Ask For Help

This is a huge one. Don’t spend an insane amount of time trying to figure out the same problem or set of problems. Skip them and set them aside, work on something else, and make an appointment with a TA or tutor to learn how to complete that assignment.

The biggest thing here is not procrastinating. You usually have plenty of time to ask a TA, tutor, or even friend for help, as long as the assignment isn’t due at 8am and it’s 1am the night before. Plan ahead, it’ll save time in the long run, and it’ll save your butt one day when you’re really stuck and need a lot more time for an assignment or paper.

This post showed you 8 genius study hacks for maximum productivity.