The key to studying effectively is not necessarily studying hard, but studying smart. If you are able to find a way to be productive with your studies then you won’t have to put in those marathon sessions, as you will be able to study for less time with more efficiency. If you have an exam coming up and you are ready to get down to some serious studying then here are some tips on making sure that you ingest all of the necessary knowledge, without having to put yourself under too much pressure.

Organization

One of the biggest keys to productive studying is effective preparation and organization and the way to do that is to arm yourself with highlighters and and some vinyl stickers. You need to have quick access to your books and pages which you need, so custom stickers from Sticker You can be used for this. In terms of your highlighters, the first job is to ensure that you can quickly find pieces of information, so get  through those books and highlight everything that you need, for quick access later on.

Taking Breaks

It is essential that you don’t overload yourself so be sure to take plenty of short breaks. During these breaks make sure that you are giving your mind a real rest, that means no social media, no watching videos, just take yourself for a walk or do some exercise for ten minutes, then get back into it.

Variation

If you are studying for a number of topics then try your best to have long periods of time between studying each topic. You can’t expect to go straight from history to chemistry and still study as well. The best course of action is to set days for each topic, and then study one topic 2 days after the first day to ensure that you have attained that knowledge.

Sleep

Whilst there is a certain romance to pulling an all nighter to get your studies done, a far better suggestion is that you give yourself the proper amount of time to rest and to sleep. When we don’t get a good night’s sleep our brains just don’t operate at full power and that means that no matter how many hours you dedicate to studying, you aren’t going to get the results that you want. Studying for less time with a brain that is operating at 100% is going to yield far better results than if you spend 18 hours studying and just 5 hours sleeping.

Food and Water

Similar to sleep, when our bodies aren’t properly looked after in terms of what we eat and drink, your brain is going to be affected. With this in mind, make sure that you eat a healthy diet, avoid greasy foods which can tire the body and stick to water when drinking. You may be tempted with energy drinks which can give you a boost, but remember that at some point you are going to crash and that is going to impact your ability to study.

Look after yourself, be organized and you will be able to study with much better efficiency.