Has anyone else been in a studying slump lately? I have been finding it hard to motivate myself to do revision or even to attend lectures and make notes. Time to reset to work out what study techniques are working for you. I did not change the way I studied until I got to university. I used to just look over my class notes, highlight important parts and attempt practice questions. After I got into medicine, I quickly realised those methods would not serve me as well as they did in high school.
Here is a list of some tangible tips I been trying over the past year (with links to apps and resources):
Stop spending more time planning studying and study! I am so guilty of this. I spend forever making revision timetables or organising my planner but then a quarter of the time doing any learning. (Side note: my best friend put me on muji planners, I really like the weekly spread with squared paper on the other side, has been the best planner I have ever used, I would rate it a 9/10 :). I only spend planning time on sundays and just refer to it through the week for reminders and to cross off tasks.) I would spend forever making a revision timetable, feel so tired, give up on studying and feel guilty the rest of the week for not following the timetable. Instead of making an intricate, overly complicated plan that will probably have to be changed tomorrow because it was unrealistic, use that time to get in some active learning.
Being consistent will save you. When you fall behind, it can be hard to be motivated to attack the mountain of work ahead of you. Try to do something every day. At the end of the week, I try to mop up any missing or outstanding work, so my Monday doesn’t start with dread. Using flashcard apps like Quizlet, Anki and Brainscape are very helpful and I highly recommend them. You can use other people’s decks they have created also to mix up the cards. I tried all 3 apps and I like Brainscape and Anki the most because they have streaks which motivates me to study at least a little every day. Anki does take some time getting used to so my happy medium is Brainscape.
Have you heard of the Pomodoro technique? It is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It breaks up studying into manageable bite size session. Choose a task to be completed, set a 25 minute timer, work until the timer goes off. Take a 5 minute break, repeat and take a longer 20-30 minute break after 4 sessions. Especially in our current situation with everyone studying virtually make sure to take screen breaks, stretch your legs and drink your water.
I always fall for replying to one message or dealing with one notification which is a slippery slope into scrolling mindlessly through social media with none of your work done. I have three solutions: Forest is a great app that you can download on your phone. You can set the time that you do not want to touch your phone for and if you succeed, you get a virtual tree. There is also a paid feature to plant real trees. Until I got this app, I did not recognise how, without thinking, I gravitate towards my phone for no reason. Another more extreme option to get a lockbox (the kind without a key) which only opens after the set duration has run out. The third, I haven’t tried yet but I’m excited. BlockSite helps to keep you productive and away from distractions by blocking access to whatever websites tempt you away from revising.
Coming up on exam season, you might have to mute or delete apps for a few days or weeks, so you don’t risk being distracted. Your time is the most valuable resource you have. Instagram, YouTube and TikTok will still be there when you are done studying for the day.
If you get to that point where you can’t even look at your work you are so frustrated, switch up your techniques. Try flashcards, watch videos, make mind maps and try practice questions. Find the style that works for you by rotating through the different methods.
Recently, lofi beats haven’t really been doing it for me to keep me focused (I would link in playlists but I don’t want to bait out my embarrassing music taste) but I hate the silence of my own room, so I recommend the channel gutsy studygirl on YouTube. She posts ‘study with me’ videos including with and without music, with and without breaks, 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour up to exam week 7 hour videos. I feel like she keeps me accountable to the work and someone is working through the same things I am struggling with. Or if you want to study with your friends, jump onto Zoom, Teams or another video calling app and study together.
One thing I did last year was in the morning message a friend about what I wanted to get done that day and at ten in the evening, we checked in with each other about how our days went. It helped that my friend was doing maths and not medicine and the content was different, so that suppressed the part of my brain that compares how much work I am doing to everyone else.
I used to try to at least flick through some flashcards on the train, so I was getting roughly an hour of revision twice a day at least but now we are at home, time seems to mush together, and I find it difficult to study for hours on end stuck at my desk. I try to assign revision tasks to things I have to do every day. When I go to brush my teeth, I will do ten minutes. If I go to get a snack, another ten. If I am folding laundry, another ten. It helps me to keep structure when studying from home.
Sometimes you hate revision so much, you do not even want to start. I’ll ignore the work I have piling up or feel demotivated thinking I’ll never get through any of it so what is the point? Taking care of yourself is essential. Working so hard you burn out is not the goal, you want to build systems that are sustainable and are as seamless as possible with the rest of your life. Integrate small studying techniques one by one so you aren’t intimidated and take breaks. I would be lying if I said I studied every day, was on time to all my classes and my flashcards are perfect. They aren’t. Balance is important. Walk around outside, talk to family and friends and make sure you are nourishing yourself. Always reach out if you need help.
I hope at least one of these tips was helpful. Good luck and happy studying!
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