Mindful Studying

Written By Colēgia

Finding ways to improve our studying habits can make the process much more enjoyable for us along with providing the tools needed to succeed. One perspective shift we want to cover is something known as mindful studying. Let's see how we can integrate this into our routine and why it's worth doing.

Be Clear With Your Study Goals

One of the first things worth doing when mindfully studying is to set clear intentions with your study goals. The reason for this is that it allows us to have an idea of what it is we want to understand by the end of our study session. If it's based on a reading assignment, it's worth looking at what we need to look out for while reading something. Looking at questions we need to answer for our assignment and then reading with those in mind is a simple way to have a clear goal. Another example of this can be a math assignment where we go into it with the goal of consistently being able to use a certain formula. Repetition helps ensure consistency since it means we can keep practicing until we know that we understand something.

“One of the first things worth doing when mindfully studying is to set clear intentions with your study goals.”

Be Present

Distractions are often a big hurdle for students to overcome during their study sessions and they can be the result of a wide variety of things. Our phones are one of these things because things such as calls, texts, or notifications can completely take us out of our flow. Silencing or even turning off our phones can make it much easier to be present since we won't have to worry about things such as FOMO or feeling hyperconnected to our devices. Having a quiet study environment can also help with being present since we won't have to worry about noise or others asking us for things while we're focusing. Recognizing when our mind is wandering can also help us with this. It's unrealistic to expect ourselves to give 100% of our focus to something for multiple hours at a time. Our mind needs breaks and it's necessary since these breaks allow us to refresh ourselves so that when we return we can be fully present.

“Having a quiet study environment can also help with being present since we won't have to worry about noise or others asking us for things while we're focusing.”

Reflect On Your Studies

Taking time after each study session to reflect on what you've learned is a simple yet effective strategy to help retain information. Having bullet points that cover key topics or even just making a summary at the end of your notes is one way to convey important information quickly. Index cards can also make it much more accessible to find if we just need a quick reminder of certain topics. Being mindful of the process while we're working on something and consciously reflecting on it can help train us to remember things more long-term. Mindful studying allows us to be more immersed with what we're learning and it can give us a greater appreciation for the material.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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