5 Tips For Successful Studying
As children, we were always very inquisitive; we were constantly asking questions, trying to learn as much as possible about the world around us. However, as time goes by, we start to notice that with each day the curiosity that we once had is becoming less and less prominent, and the learning process is turning from an enjoyable activity into a chore. So is there a way we can get that excitement back and fall in love with studying again?
1. Go At Your Own Pace
Some people prefer sprinting, others would rather run a marathon. The same applies to studying, 90% of your success depends on how well the learning format you’ve chosen for yourself actually suits you. It is absolutely essential that we go at a pace that we are comfortable with to ensure that we don’t lose motivation as soon as we finish our first lesson. This is why one of the main trends of 2021 is bite-sized learning, which is all about studying in brief spaces of time, only taking in "small portions" of new information and doing it at a time that is convenient for you personally. This method allows you to only study for 15-20 minutes a day while having your coffee break or while on your run, preventing you from burning out.
2. Set Up A Mastermind Group
It is no secret how much other people’s opinions affect us. Snide remarks and sarcastic comments from friends and colleagues are probably not going to be of great help when you are already quite hesitant about whether attending digital marketing courses after work is a great idea. This is where a mastermind group comes to the rescue. A mastermind group is a group of like-minded people who work in a common direction together, sharing their experiences with each other along the way.
The great thing about these groups is that they help each individual member to achieve their goals much faster, while also keeping them on the right track throughout this process. According to a study, students’ motivation and involvement in the educational process depend directly on how much time they spend working together in teams and interacting with each other. No wonder so many of the prestigious MBA programs use teamwork as their main educational tool.
3. Find Your Root Of Evil
Try to identify what exactly it is that turns you off to studying. Maybe you don’t like doing homework, or maybe there’s that one particular part of the course that you find especially boring? Try to find one thing you do like, which will keep you inspired and give you enough motivation to carry on with your studies. Let’s say you decided to do a business course in order to start your own business in the future, but you soon realize that you really dislike working with those Excel tables and doing accounts. Try to find a middle ground, tell yourself that finances are an important aspect of every business ecosystem as they reflect many different processes happening within it.
This means that it’s probably better to just try and learn the subject—even if you don’t really enjoy it—to then be able to effectively use it in the future. Surely a couple of formulas are nothing compared to how much you want your big dream to come true, right? It would probably be easier to just complete this module, and then move on to something more interesting. Try to find something important in every subject you learn, and you will soon find yourself becoming more invested in your studies.
Remember, that sometimes feeling tired is just a natural response to studying becoming a part of your everyday life. When your life changes, it’s natural for your body and especially your nervous system to go through a bit of a stressful period. So even if you sign up for your dream course, new surroundings, new people and new tasks are still going to bring big changes to your daily routine. This, in turn, can lead to anxiety, mood swings, and a desire for things "to go back to how they were before." All of this is completely natural, and it just requires a little bit of getting used to on your part.
4. Create Rituals
Let’s go back to that sports analogy we used before: when we go to the gym, for example, we always change into our activewear first and then do some stretching. This is a great example of a ritual that puts us in the right mood before we move onto the thing we need to do. For instance, American author Stephen King uses different kinds of rituals to "wake up" his brain and to get himself to work even when he doesn’t feel particularly inspired. Every morning the writer has a cup of tea or a glass of water, and then works for half an hour from 8:00 to 8:30, which allows him to create 6 pages of text every day.
Consistency and systematic approach are the two principles that many talented and successful people stick to. So why not create similar rituals for yourself too—only this time relating to studies instead of work? Buy yourself colorful stationery and lay it out on your desk before each lesson. Bright colors will help to make the learning process more exciting as well as to activate the right side of your brain, which will boost your creativity and make you learn faster. Listen to some nice music while studying, buy your favorite coffee before you go to your lectures, or wear a certain outfit to your lessons—the possibilities are endless here. It may sound strange, but sometimes in order to achieve great results, we have to establish a simple routine first.
5. Stick To The Practical Approach
Every educational process should include the practical component, nothing is more inspiring than seeing immediate results. Learn new skills and then incorporate them into your life straight away—this is one of the key principles of my Fast Education methodology. Dopamine is a chemical that is responsible for the feelings of reward and motivation. That’s why it’s very important to treat yourself each time you accomplish something, as it’s exactly what drives us toward learning more things the practical way.
The gradual process of acquiring new knowledge and, as a result, a growing feeling of accomplishment and gratitude for your own hard work are all the things that dopamine allows us to appreciate, but they have to "accumulate" for quite some time before you can actually experience them. Practice helps to activate these triggers much faster. You don’t really have to wait for the moment you get a certificate or a diploma before you can start putting the things you’ve learned into practice. As soon as you realize your studies are beginning to bear fruit, you will instantly feel your excitement for learning and desire for knowledge increase.