Study Tips
1. To Do Lists
To do lists are a great way to organise yourself. They don't have to be huge lists but if you have around four or five things on there then you can get it done. A good tip is to start with the task you least want to do so that way you can get that done first then the rest will be easier for you. It's also very satisfying to cross things off your to do list once you've done which can be a motivation in itself.
2. Find a good work space that works for you
One thing I can strongly recommend is do not work on your bed. I know it's comfy and very tempting but honestly you won't work that well sitting in bed. As it's the place you sleep and relax on then your mind will not be in a working mood. You'll probably get lazy and procrastinate, you may even fall asleep. It's not the best place to do your work. I would recommend working at your desk and making sure it's clutter free so you're not distracted by the clutter. The library is also a good place to work as the only thing you can really do in the library is work and read which is a good way to force yourself to work. You might prefer to work in a coffee shop surrounded by people. Sometimes a bit of background noise can help you work. Honestly there's no right or wrong place you can work as long as it works for you.
3. Start early
I mean this in two ways. I find working in the morning really helps me to get a productive day. I live in that mindset that if you start early then you can finish early. The same goes with the actual assignment. I recommend to start working on it the moment you get it. You don't have to literally start writing the essay but start doing research. Get out any books from the library that you need because it will be more difficult to get them out the later you leave the assignment. If you get all your references researched and written down then writing your essay will become much easier.
4. Pen and paper
There's nothing wrong with going back to basics. I find writing things down on pen and paper sinks into my brain more because I'm physically writing the information down on the paper whereas if you type it, I feel like it doesn't sink in as well. I like writing when I have exams and I actually need to remember references. Even when I'm working on my laptop, I'll have a pen and paper next to me so I can make notes plus plan out what I want to write. Sometimes you do just need to go back to basics when it comes to studying.
5. Hit the books
Not literally but you will need to do some reading. I don't think anyone has ever passed a university assignment without referencing an actual book. It does take time to find the references but I'd rather find references than relying on the internet. What I used to do was if the assignment was about a certain topic, I would go to the University's online library catalogue and just search the topic then I would get a few results and I would make a note of the book's catalogue number so I can go get it from the library. I would also make a note of some of the books and authors at the end of the lecture on the topic to look for references. Also don't copy references from lecture slides, you won't fool your lecturers. Fair enough if you do use the same book as they did and find other relevant references but don't just copy your lecturers references. You'll probably lose marks if you do.
6. Ask for help
A lot of students have a fear of talking to lecturers if they are struggling with their work. I had this fear because I thought it meant I wasn't good enough and my work was rubbish. This was a ridiculous fear as the lecturers are really useful. They want you to ask for help. They want to see a draft of your assignment so they can point you in the right direction. They are there to help you but they won't help you if you don't ask. They won't be mean about your work; they'll show you what you need to improve and even recommend references. So don't feel like you can't ask for help because you can and you should if you're struggling with your work.
7. Take breaks
Definitely take breaks when you're studying. You can't work flat out for four hours and not take a break. Even if it's just a ten to fifteen minute break. Sometimes you need to take yourself away from your work to let your mind breathe and you'll be able to focus more on your work after your break.
8. Reward Yourself
I think people forget that if they've worked hard then they deserve a reward. The reward can sometimes lead to motivation to get your work done. The reward doesn't have to be anything big; it could be watching your favourite movie or TV show or even going shopping or seeing your friends.
9. Think of your future self
Sometimes it's good to look at the future when it comes to studying. Just think about how good it will feel when your assignment is over and how much free time you'll have. It will give you a bit of motivation to do the work sooner and your future self will be grateful to it. Even think about the end result of when you get your degree and how hard you worked to achieve it, that is a feeling that will definitely make you want to get on with your work.
10. Turn your phone off and hide it
Your phone can be the biggest distraction when it comes to studying especially if you're getting notifications all the time or you get bored so you scroll through your social media and before you know it you've wasted half an hour just staring at your phone. The best option is to just turn your phone off and hide it away. Whether it's in a drawer or in your bag, just put it away so it's out of site and out of mind so you can focus on doing your work without getting distracted by your phone.
11. Plan! Plan! Plan!
You can't write a good essay without a plan. It's physically impossible. Make a plan on how to structure your essay and study. Work out what you need to know and do as much as research as you can which will help you plan out your studying. It's good to have a plan when you're studying and it will save you a lot of time if you're prepared.
Anyway, that's all the study tips I have to give. I'm sure there's plenty more study tips you can find but the most important thing you can do is do what works for you and just do your best. If you did your best and worked hard then you'll get the grade you deserve. It may be a struggle but you will get through it and it will all be worth it in the end.
If you do have any other study tips that I may have missed then let me know in the comments below and maybe we can all get through this together.
Thank you for reading my blog and I'll be back tomorrow with another university related post.
See you then.
Megan x
*This is not a sponsored post*
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