by Kyla Rodrigues
Relaxing: a concept that is rewarding that many students are not familiar with due to poor time management. After a long and hard day at school, you have piles of homework on top of working and or practice; the last thing any student wants to do is study. As a student, your job comes with many responsibilities, the most important of which is getting good grades. Doing this, however, can be a daunting task, and many students still need to learn how to utilize their time to study smarter, not harder.
Senior Olivia Hewitt goes to school all day and immediately after school has dance class for two different teams. Olivia doesn’t get home until late every night, leaving her minimal time to get homework done and study.
Olivia says, “I always stay up so late studying and never learn the material as much as I need to.”
Ms. Hewitt’s concerns are true for many students; whether it is sports, clubs, or work; after school is a very busy time.
Senior Mariah Daniels does not study as much as she would like to. However, when she studies she rarely gets the test scores she expects. She does not like to waste her time on studying when she knows it will not benefit her.
Mariah says, “I study my notes but it doesn’t over and over again but then I forget everything when I take the test.”
Little does Mariah know, many students have this same issue and do not know what to do about it.
Students waste too much time studying because they feel as though they need to drill the information in their heads. They should not be memorizing material, they should be learning it.
Here are the top three tips to help you improve your studying.
- Pick a place
A key to studying is picking a place where you can be productive. A bedroom or a place with people/things that can distract you will not help you stay on task. A quiet place is best for studying whether it is a room in your house, a coffee shop, a library, etc. A NAHS senior, Liz Kenerson, says, “I like to go to Starbucks because it is quiet and I do not get distracted.” You should be comfortable in the place you pick but not too comfortable to allow you to get distracted.
2. Manage your time
Studying the last minute and reviewing materials learned over multiple days is not ideal. You should plan out your study time, to try and focus on different topics a night. Good ways to manage your time are to set reminders, write in a planner, set time limits for different subjects, and use a wall calendar or bulletin board. While studying you should not be occupied doing other things. Put your phone away so you are not tempted to go on it because that will take time away from your study time.
3. Take breaks
While studying information on the same subject over a long time, students tend to get bored. If you start to get bored, your motivation begins to decrease and suddenly you are not trying anymore. Taking breaks allows you to pause your work and take your mind off of it for a short period of time and then get a fresh start when you resume studying.
The First Launch 