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8 Unproductive Study Habits to Kick to the Curb

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8 Unproductive Study Habits to Kick to the Curb

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August 22, 2018

Written by Joshua Gliddon

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We've all been there. Tomorrow there's an exam, and we haven't studied. So we pull an all-nighter. Or worse, we don't study at all, hoping to wing it. There are lots of bad study habits that we can fall into. Some are unproductive study habits, some are just plain procrastination. Here are eight bad study habits that you should kick to the curb if you want to get ahead.

Studying at Home

Hmm, home seems like such a great place to study. There are snacks, tea and coffee and... oh wait! It's time to check Instagram! How many likes did my latest cat post get? Only ten?

What we're saying is that studying at home can be an unproductive study habit. Instead of curling up in your bed with your laptop and notes, get to the library, or even a local café (with the added bonus of coffee!). Not doing your work at home is a great study tip, and you'll be more productive and have an easier time committing things to memory.

Studying With Friends

A great way to have unproductive study habits is to get a group of friends around to "go over notes." What will really happen is that you'll end up chatting, gossiping and before you know it, you've broken out the drinks and a house party is underway. The best way to get work done faster is on your own. Don't fall into the trap of group study because it never works!

Procrastination

There's a pile of laundry that needs doing. Or the dishes need washing. Or perhaps the dog really needs a walk? Procrastination is one of most unproductive study habits that we all need to address. Set yourself a goal - study for 50 minutes solid (preferably away from home - see tip #1) and then give yourself ten minutes to make a cup of tea, pat the dog or check your social media accounts. As the saying goes, all work and no play makes Jo (or Josephine) dull. We all need rewards, and so setting a time limit on how long you study for, with a treat at the end, will put a stop to your procrastination for good.

Not Planning or Setting Goals

One of the most unproductive study habits is to not plan your work or set goals for what you want to achieve. According to the famous American university Harvard setting goals increases achievement and motivation. Write a list of what you want to do, and then draw up a structure for how you will get the work done. Simply sitting down with a pile of notes and an open laptop will lead you to distraction (see tip #3) and you won't achieve what you set out to do. If you want to get work done faster, set a goal, write a plan and work solidly for 50 minutes (see tip#3) and then give yourself a small reward at the end of each time period.

Avoid Distractions

This wraps into the procrastination tip. Turn off the TV, get rid of the tunes, and sign yourself out of the group chat on WhatsApp. Pankaj Sah, from the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland, says that our brains are impressive machines, but they can't handle everything at once. It's too easy to get distracted by social media (or just about anything else for that matter!) so avoid the temptation altogether and get rid of all the distractions you can. Using tip#1, and avoiding studying at home can help minimise distractions too, as it's harder to watch TV when you're at the library.

Studying the Night Before or Pulling an All-Nighter

Good study habits (and good exam results) starts weeks before the deadline. Studying the night before or pulling an all-nighter means that you won't retain what you read, and you'll find yourself behind the 8-ball. According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, in the United States, physical fatigue is detrimental to learning outcomes. This is where tip#4 comes into play. Plan your study sessions and revisions from the time you get the assignment or exam timetable all the way through to the deadline.

Not Taking a Break

It's easy to think that continuous study will help you learn faster and retain more information. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you have a break every so often, you'll retain more information and perform better because it gives your brain the time to process what you have been studying.

Not Asking for Help

Don't understand something? Ask your tutors or lecturer for help. Not asking for help is as unproductive a study habit as waiting until the last minute or not planning your workload. Also, chances are, if you don't understand something, then other people in your class don't understand it either. Organise a revision session with your tutor, or ask for clarification and you'll get up to speed in no time at all.

There are many other ways to improve your study strategies for that assessment deadline and exam just lurking around the corner. Head on over to our other study-related articles here on SkillsTalk, for advice on getting the educational outcomes you desire.

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Unproductive Study Habits to Kick to the Curb

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We've all been there. Tomorrow there's an exam, and we haven't studied. So we pull an all-nighter. Or worse, we don't study at all, hoping to wing it. There are lots of bad study habits that we can fall into. Some are unproductive study habits, some are just plain procrastination.

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Study Smarter, Not Harder: How to Retain More Info In Less Time

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Study Smarter, Not Harder: How to Retain More Info In Less Time

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September 06, 2018
by Ana Isabel Alonsagay

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There are few things less frustrating than sitting down to read 5 whole chapters on the fundamentals of business management - only to realise that you've forgotten about 60% of the stuff you've read come exam time.

For those who are unfamiliar with this phenomenon, congratulations - you've managed to avoid that sickly, sweaty mini-panic attack as you gloss over your paper in baffled wonder. For the rest of us, it's nothing less of an unpleasant experience. Why is it that you can't remember what you learned from that section on Javascript basics, that one time you sat down and read through your (very expensive) IT 101 textbook for two hours?

Turns out, many of us may just be studying the "wrong" way. While it may feel productive to spend a long chunk of your day buried in readings, our brains may not be retaining as much information or data as we think.

There's this concept called the "Learning Pyramid" - one that was actually developed all the way back in the 1960's by the NTL Institute in Bethel, Maine - that simply outlines the ways an individual learns best, from most to least effective.

According to this framework, the time spent trying to absorb stats, text, and graphs from just simply reading, listening to lectures, or going through audio-visual materials for hours on end are some of the least effective ways to retain information. To get your cranium ready for that big final test, we recommend you try out these other study tactics to retain more info instead:

Teach Someone (or at Least Pretend to)

Instead of keeping all the info you've gathered in notebook scribbles or in your short-term memory, try teaching what you've just learned to someone else.

According to the Learning Pyramid, you retain 90% of what you learn through explaining the same material to somebody else. It also puts what you've just studied to immediate use, and through teaching or implementation, you get to make mistakes. Once you allow yourself to make these errors, you'll get to pick out where exactly where you lack in knowledge, and re-study or improve on those areas. The sooner you get to identify these errors, the sooner you get to correct them, levelling up your concentration.

If you don't have anyone around who wants to listen to you ramble on about payroll systems and financial budgets, no worries - you can always read the information out loud to yourself, or perhaps even blogging them.

Study in Small Bursts

It may seem fruitful to go through your readings for hours at a time, but your ability to retain information actually diminishes around the 50-minute mark. According to experts from Louisiana State University's Center for Academic Success, anything below 30 minutes of studying just won't cut it, but anything over 50 minutes can be too much for the brain to take at a time.

This way, you can study shorter but more frequently, and reward yourself after each study period - giving your brain a well-deserved break after each session to recharge.

For those juggling different subjects at a time - you also can use this tactic to learn a different topic within each session. This keeps things more interesting, and you'll get to cover more ground each day, albeit in small increments.

Additionally, spacing out your study in this way curbs your temptation to procrastinate. Instead of having the daunting task of reviewing your materials for a solid, 4-hour study session by the end of the week - you can whittle this down to a much less intimidating 30-50 minutes a day (or even every other day).

Retain More Info Through Sleeping

Sounds counter-productive? Research has shown that getting some shut-eye after study can aid in the retention of memories, as the regions of our brain related to memory-making and storage get to work during the sleeping process.

In an experiment conducted by German scientists, it was discovered that even a short nap played a significant part in an individual's ability to retain information. Two groups were given a set of illustrated cards to memorise, then, after a 40-minute break, were made to learn a completely different set of cards.

While one group was asked to nap during the break, the other stayed awake. As you can probably guess, the results showed that the napping group managed to remember 85% of the cards, while the group that kept their eyes peeled only managed to remember 60%.

As mentioned in our previous post on " The Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep On Your Studies", the reason for this case is our brain's procedure on "saving" memories. When a memory is initially processed, it takes place in our brain's "hippocampus", where it still has the potential to be easily forgotten. Sleeping, however, pushes this information into the " neocortex" - a more "permanent" storage area in the brain.

So, good news for the people that dread long hours of textbook-reading; it might be best for you to use some of that time to doze off, instead.

Skim Through the Text First

A quick and easy way to help you remember your stuff in a shorter timeframe is to skim through your reading material first, before diving into the details. Professor of neuroscience Bill Klemm mentions this in his article on how to effectively remember what you read; he explains that skimming your text beforehand allows you to get familiar with your topics, thus letting you to know what to expect before you dig into the specifics. Creating an overall sense for the document, he states, allows you to more easily "remember certain particulars."

Klemm also mentions that there may be even be sections of your reading material that require no more than a simple skim. To still get the most out of the information given, however, he clarifies that a "proper" skimming would involve placing emphasis on the headers, visuals, graphs, diagrams, and keywords of a text, and should be slowed down during parts that may contribute to your reading purpose.

Practise What You've Learned

Taking the also does wonders for helping you remember all your valuable information. Just like teaching, implementing what you've learned allows you to make all the mistakes you need to figure out the same concept as our first point - teaching what you've learned - putting your study into areas that need improvement. The great thing about materializing your knowledge, however, is that you get to see what you've learned in practice action rather than keeping it on paper.

For example, instead of keeping your HTML and CSS know-how all in your head, why not use what you've learned to try and create your own website? Really delving into your course teachings through practical application allows you to get even more familiar with the information given to you, and helps you learn how to use it rather than just regurgitate it.

Going back to our aforementioned " Learning Pyramid", this study tactic allows learners to retain 75% of their material, rather than a mere 10% from just reading, or an even lesser 5% from just listening to a lecture.

Individuals study best through different ways, but lengthy, intense review sessions may be doing your study more harm than good. Try out our tactics for size - you may just double the stuff you remember by splitting your study time in half.

For more articles on how to level up your study techniques, be sure to check out more of our articles on studying and productivity here on SkillsTalk.

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How to Retain More Info In Less Time When Studying

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There are few things less frustrating than sitting down to read 5 whole chapters on the fundamentals of business management - only to realise that you've forgotten about 60% of the stuff you've read come exam time.

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The study to improve reading speed that Mike Ward mentioned in his article on working & studying simultaneously.

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I've always struggled with how to effective take notes, especially in face-to-face courses. But I believe this mind mapping technique could certainly come in handy when studying for online courses.

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Want to learn better? Start mind mapping | Hazel Wagner | TEDxNaperville

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11 WAYS TO WORK FULL TIME AND STUDY FULL TIME SIMULTANEOUSLY

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11 WAYS TO WORK FULL TIME AND STUDY FULL TIME SIMULTANEOUSLY

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MIKE WARD – MARCH 10, 2017

1-      FOCUS ON THE END GAME

2-      IMPROVE YOUR READING SPEED

3-      UTILIZE VACATION PERIODS

4-      CAREFULLY BREAK UP YOUR READING/STUDYING

5-      TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF YOUR COMMUTE

6-      MAXIMIZE EVERY SPARE MINUTE

7-      MULTITASK DURING ‘NON-BRAIN’ ACTIVITIES

8-      CHOOSE YOUR SACRIFICE

9-      PLAN A STRATRGIC STUDY DAY

10-   UTILIZE PROVEN PRODUCTIVITY METHODS

11-   KEEP YOUR MANAGER IN THE LOOP

To see the full article click on the link below.

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Trying to work part-time while going to school full-time can be quite the challenge. You're trying to juggle classes, homework, work, your social life and the battle to stay sane.

Is it possible to work full-time and study full-time? Sounds crazy right? Like a recipe for complete, flaming burnout, followed by dropping out of school. Only crazy people would try to work and study full-time.

Right?

Believe it or not, many people have very successfully attended school and held down a full-time job. These people are not crazy. They have friends and a social life and even families. They didn't burn out or go off the deep end.

So how did they do it? Did they discover some method of slowing time which allowed them to move between locations rapidly?

Nope.

They were just very smart and disciplined. They used some very specific methods.

You can do it too if you so desire. Here are 11 methods for working and studying full-time simultaneously without going completely crazy.

Method #1: Focus On The Endgame

This isn't a method so much as an important reminder. When you're studying and working full-time, things are going to get crazy. You'll feel overwhelmed at times and wonder why you chose to do both simultaneously. You may even find yourself wanting to quit your job, school or both.

In those moments, you need to remember the end game. You're working and studying simultaneously so you can so you can offset some of the student loans. Or because you're supporting your family while also getting a degree. Or because you love your job and want to still go to school.

Keep these reasons in the front of your mind when things get rough. Take a breather and remember your big, "Why?"

Method #2: Improve Your Reading Speed

Perhaps the greatest challenge when studying and working full time is keeping up with all the reading. It's not uncommon to be loaded down with hundreds of pages each week, and with time at a premium it's tricky to get it all done.

One specific technique is to improve your reading speed. Most people don't realize that they read quite slowly and have much room for improvement. By implementing a few simple techniques, you can dramatically increase both your speed and comprehension.

Method #3: Utilize Vacation Periods

Depending on your job, you may get longer vacation periods such as during the summer or the holidays. This is especially true if you work as a teacher.

Take advantage of these breaks to get more studying done than normal or to even get ahead. Some colleges even offer accelerated courses during vacation periods or between semesters. Taking these accelerated courses allows you to get credits at a much more rapid pace.

Method #4: Carefully Break Up Your Reading/Studying

One of the biggest challenges of working and studying full time is managing the heavy study load. You need to carefully plan out when and how you're going to study. One powerful method for managing your study load is to systematically break up your reading and studying into carefully proportioned periods.

For example, if you have 200 pages to read in two weeks, calculate how many study hours you will have available in the next two weeks. If you have ten hours available, you must read at least 20 pages per hour to complete your assignment. If you can't read that fast, you'll need to budget more study time in your schedule.

Breaking up your reading/studying into small, manageable chunks keeps you out of panic mode when you're forced to read hundreds of pages at a time.

Method #5: Take Full Advantage Of Your Commute

Unless you work from home, you probably have a commute to work. Most adults have at least a 20 minute commute, with some driving much longer. Your commute time is perfect for getting some studying done. Some simple ways to do this are:

Put study materials on flash cards review them when you come to stoplights (NOT WHILE DRIVING!).

Download audio versions of your textbooks and listen to them as you drive.

If you're studying a subject that's audio heavy, such as a language, record yourself saying your vocab words along with the definition. Then listen as you drive.

Record your lectures using your smartphone and then listen as you drive. You can listen at 1.5x speed to get through the information more quickly.

Don't waste your commute. It's time that usually is filled with talk radio or music, which isn't bad, but doesn't help you in your pursuit of a degree.

Method #6: Maximize Every Spare Minute

There are numerous times throughout the day when you have spares minutes. When you're waiting at the doctor's office, standing in line at the grocery store or waiting to pick up your child from school. These moments can easily be turned into micro study sessions.

Some simple ways to do that are:

Carry flash cards with you everywhere. If you don't want to carry them around, snap photos of them with your smartphone and use those to study.

Utilize your smartphone. For example, if you're a medical student, put anatomy photos on your phone.

Download any relevant apps that can help you study.

Find YouTube videos and watch them on your smartphone.

Don't underestimate the power of small moments. A few minutes here and there quickly adds up to hours.

Method #7: Multitask During "Non-Brain" Activities

Trying to multitask while you're studying is a bad idea. It's difficult, if not impossible, to focus on two things at once. However, there are many "non-brain" activities you do throughout your day, such as cooking, working out, bathroom breaks (seriously) or yard work.

Use these activities to get in extra study time. Keep a stack of flashcards near the bathroom. Listen to audio lectures while at the gym. Work on term memorization while cooking dinner.

To the point above, small moments add up. If you can't find large, uninterrupted blocks of study time, pile small moments on top of each other.

Method #8: Choose Your Sacrifice

In order to successfully work and study full-time, you're going to have to make some sacrifices. Each day, consider making one sacrifice that will help you achieve your goal. Choose to give up something that will affect you and not others.

For example, instead of watching an hour of television, use that time to study. Instead of spending 40 minutes on social media, spend 40 minutes reviewing study terms. Don't give up things like family time or a workout since those are critical to a healthy work-life balance. Rather, give up the things that only affect you.

Method #9: Plan A Strategic Study Day

To avoid becoming overly stressed before big tests, plan a strategic study day. If possible, take a day off work to go over all the material that will be covered on the test. If you can't take a day off work, use a Saturday to study.

Taking at least one strategic study day before a test will significantly lower your stress levels as well as prepare you to succeed.

Method #10: Utilize Proven Productivity Methods

The key to succeeding while working and studying full time is productivity. You must learn the art of being productive in the time you have. To that end, consider studying some proven productivity methods, such as:

You don't have to read a book to get a feel for these productivity methods. There are plenty of free videos and articles that can guide you.

Method #11: Keep Your Manager In The Loop

Unless you happen to be your own boss, you'll need to keep your manager updated on your study schedule. Most managers will be supportive of your efforts as long as you keep them up to date on your comings and goings.

Make sure to tell your boss:

If you need any particular times off for study.

If you'll be coming in early or late to make up for time off.

If there will be any possible disruptions to your work schedule.

Method #12: Consider Online Courses

Online courses can be ideal for someone trying to work and study full time. You don't have to commute to a campus and you can usually watch lectures at your own convenience as long as you complete all assignments on time.

Online courses offer the flexibility that many traditional campuses don't and can make it much easier to balance work and study.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, it will be challenging to work and study full time, but it can be done. It requires strategic use of your time, dedication and sacrifice, but if you're willing to make the effort, you can succeed.

As noted at the beginning, keep the endgame in mind. It's hard work, but the results are wonderful.

Do Two Things at Once

Online degree programs are a great option especially for someone trying to balance a very busy schedule. Time management becomes easier when you choose when to be in class and complete assignments. With PGS online degree programs, working full time and studying full time becomes that much easier.

About Mike Ward

Mike Ward (M.Div) is the director of enrollment operations at Cornerstone University. With eight years of higher education experience, Mike seeks to provide excellent student experiences that glorify God and bring joy to people. He is married to Beth and they have three wonderful children: Caleb, Katelyn and Nathan.

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11 Ways to Work Full Time and Study Full Time Simultaneously

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Trying to work part-time while going to school full-time can be quite the challenge. You're trying to juggle classes, homework, work, your social life and the battle to stay sane. Is it possible to work full-time and study full-time? Sounds crazy right? Like a recipe for complete, flaming burnout, followed by dropping out of school.