8 Strategies for Better Performance When Studying
Many students feel stressed and overwhelmed when they have to study and they don’t know how to improve their performance when studying. Having strategies and organization will be key to getting to the exam and succeeding.
If teenagers improve their study planning and follow a series of recommendations and tricks to organize their during study time, their academic performance will be higher. However, if they don’t put these strategies into practice, it’ll be difficult for them to achieve the success they desire in their studies.
Why is time management so important to improve performance when studying?
All of us have to organize our day-to-day life in order to fulfill all our obligations. Workers have to stick to their work schedule and students have to organize their study time, whether it’s to prepare for an exam or to hand a paper in on time.
Students have an advantage that workers don’t, and that’s the freedom to organize their study time. Although it may not seem like it, this can sometimes be more of a problem than an aid, but why?
As we grow up, the institutions where we study change, and even in some, such as college, we may have morning or afternoon classes. The difficulty is that it’s the students themselves who have to be responsible for complying with their study schedule.
Despite having freedom for organization, many students don’t have good study habits. For this reason, both exam time and the due dates for projects can turn into a situation of anxiety and stress for them becausethey don’t have an effective study plan.
Tips for organizing and improving performance when studying
In order to achieve the best possible grades in exams, it’s important to have a study plan. For this, students need to set aside time to devote to each subject. Let’s take a look at some strategies that can help you get organized and get the most out of your study time.
Have a schedule
This is one of the most frequently heard pieces of advice, but it’s important that before you start studying, you know how much time you’re going to dedicate to each subject. This way, every day, you’ll dedicate enough time so that you don’t reach exam day or work overwhelmed by a lack of time.
This schedule can be on paper or in digital format, but what’s important is to have it in writing. This will help you be more aware of the planning that you must respect if you want to get good results.
Have a study routine
Every student is different and, therefore, productive capacity may vary from one person to the next. Some perform best in the morning, others in the afternoon, and yet others in the evening. It also depends on the schedule at the place of study.
That is why this routine has to be personal and oriented to each individual. It doesn’t matter at what time’s best for you to sit down to study, but once we are clear about it, you must get down to work every day at that time. In this way, you’ll create a routine and a habit.
Start with the most difficult subjects and move on to the easier ones
It’s important to start with those subjects that are more difficult because, as you study, your brain will become exhausted. So, if you leave the complicated things until the end, it’ll be difficult to achieve results, since your brain will already be fatigued.
Distinguish the important objectives from the urgent ones and avoid multitasking
When it comes to organizing your study time, you have to know how to differentiate between what’s important and what’s urgent. You have to be clear about which tasks have to be done before others rather than trying to do everything at once. If the date of an exam or the due date of an assignment is approaching, you should focus on those objectives and then move on to others.
You can’t study two things at the same time; it’s not advisable and, in addition, both subjects require a high level of concentration. So, if you switch from one to the other, you won’t assimilate the contents of either.
Plan breaks and leisure for better performance when studying
In the same way that you organize your study time, it’s also good to establish a time to rest and disconnect, although you shouldn’t fall into the trap of disconnecting more than your scheduled time because it can affect the time you’ve established for studying. Therefore, you need to respect your break times and not allow them to go too long or be too frequent.
Have a good predisposition and willpower
Having a proactive and motivated attitude towards your studies is essential when it comes to achieving better performance when studying. It’s also important to have the willpower to meet all the proposed objectives and schedules; this is the key to academic success.
Avoid interruptions
If you know that there may be distractions at home, it’s best to go to a place where you’re alone or where everyone else is studying, such as the library or a study room. Another thing to avoid is having your cell phone on so that you don’t end up picking it up. If you listen to music, it’s better to use ambient sound or music that doesn’t have any lyrics.
Review every day
This final tip is very important: going over and over what you have studied will help you to reach exam day with clear ideas and get a good grade.
If you want to improve your performance when studying, it’s important to apply these tips. To achieve good grades, you need to have a study plan that helps you organize and make the most of your study time.
Like everything else, the constant practice of a routine leads to the acquisition of a habit and, once it’s acquired, it’ll be much easier to carry it out. So, put all these strategies into practice; you’re sure to notice the effects on the improvement of your academic performance.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Cueva, M. A. A. I. (1997). Estrategias para mejorar el rendimiento académico de los adolescentes.
- Rinaudo, M. C., & González, A. (2002). Estrategias de aprendizaje, comprensión de la lectura y rendimiento académico. Lectura y vida, 23(3).
- Cavero, M. Á. B. (2011). Voluntad para estudiar, regulación del esfuerzo, gestión eficaz del tiempo y rendimiento académico en alumnos universitarios. Revista de investigación educativa, 29(1), 171-185.