Not everyone has the opportunity to dedicate themselves solely to college. Jobs, children, and other needs can be part of a student’s life, and they have to juggle them all.
The good news is that managing work, academics, and personal life can be complicated, but it is possible.
With a few study tips and a lot of discipline, you can complete your daily activities and still be an exemplary student .
See what to do to make your day more productive and how not to let a busy routine hinder your academic performance .
Invest in a study plan
If organization is already important for those who have time to spare, it becomes crucial for those who don’t.
Therefore, the first step is to invest in putting order into your routine and working on an efficient study plan .
List all your activities, work hours, regular commitments, and schedule your week. Put everything in writing and don’t just rely on your head.
After this survey, check the intervals that can be transformed into study time and distribute the subjects throughout the days.
Remember to even consider those subjects you don’t struggle with. This prevents everything from piling up and causing additional stress during exam time, for example.
Optimize all your available time
Considering that your higher education experience can bring countless benefits, it should be treated as a priority. Therefore, dedication shouldn’t be optional.
You know those 10, 15 minutes you spend scrolling through social media and messaging your friends? Even those can be turned into a study opportunity.
Look at your day and see where you’re wasting precious minutes unnecessarily, and turn that into learning.
It doesn’t need to be a time of deep, intense study, but it can be used for reviewing and even doing some reading.
Make notes to review whenever you can.
And since we’re talking about optimization, here’s a great technique to use during these short learning periods: note-taking.
Prepare some in advance on the topics you struggle with most and carry them with you so you can use them in your downtime. Put your phone away for a while while waiting for an appointment, in line at the bank, or during your lunch break at work.
It may seem like a small amount, but it’s more beneficial than you might think. You can easily keep the content fresh in your memory.
Select some video lessons and podcasts to watch/listen to while traveling
Still talking about how to transform any opportunity into a study space, technology can be an excellent ally . Not social media, but video lessons and podcasts can.
Choose some videos and/or audio related to the topics you’re studying and make the most of your time in traffic. Not if you’re the driver, of course.
As a passenger, this is a good way to review the material or learn about other points of view on it.
Invest in resolving issues
According to study published in the scientific journal “Psychological Science in the Public Interest ,” there are more and less effective methods of learning. The one that recorded the highest rate of content assimilation was taking practical tests.
So, since we’re talking about tips for studying when you’re short on time, it’s best to listen to science.
Don’t skip the reading and theoretical part, but dedicate yourself to practicing the material to ensure you’ll be able to retain it.
Be strict with distractions
There’s no point in following all the instructions given above if, while you’re facing the books, you’re listening to music or stopping to check any notifications on your cell phone.
In the end, time that’s already short becomes nothing. So, focus your attention and remember that there’s a time for everything. Your dedication will translate into good grades and excellent academic performance.
This tip also applies to group study. If you already have difficulty focusing, it’s best to focus on solo learning.
Unless it’s a one-off situation or to get work done, it could hinder your progress more than it helps.