Life is often hard for the chronic procrastinator. No matter what needs doing, or how urgently, you can always depend on us to flitter the hours away.
If you are a chronic procrastinator looking to break the habit and conquer your academic pursuits, here are 3 key tips for studying more efficiently.
Create a Dedicated Study Space
The first thing that you need if you want to study effectively is a dedicated space to study in. Setting up a dedicated study space is not just about practicalities; there are a number of compelling reasons for creating your own study space. For one thing, having a dedicated space that you use for studying will make it much easier for you to get into the right mindset when the time comes. If you are trying to study on your couch, a vantage point that you usually reserve for Netflix viewing, you will find it harder to concentrate, not to mention having to resist the added temptation of Netflix.
A growing number of students are choosing to study their degrees online. There are lots of benefits to pursuing an online degree. However, if you enroll in an online degree course, such as a central Christian college online degree, you won’t have access to the usual study facilities. Instead, you will have to create your own.
If you want to create a useful study space for yourself, here’s what it needs to be:
- Quiet: It is always better to do your studying in complete silence if possible. Many people are utterly convinced that they need background noise in order to work, but in most cases, this is simply a comforting lie and a way of justifying the presence of distractions in your study space. Choose a space where you can be certain of peace and quiet when you need to be focused on your studies.
- Tidy: You might not think that it would make much difference, but having a tidy space for studying can make an enormous difference to your ability to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Many people find that if the physical space they are in is cluttered, they feel cluttered emotionally. Maintaining a tidy study area helps you to maintain a clear and tidy mind.
- Free of Distractions: For some people, finding a truly peaceful study space is quite difficult. You want a study space where you can be fairly sure that you will not be interrupted. If you have young children in the house, this can be much easier said than done. However, regardless of your home setup, you should try as much as possible to make your study space your own and to impress upon the people you live with the importance of peaceful studying to your academic development.
Put Your Phone Away
Modern smartphones are pretty incredible devices that are capable of some amazing things. A smartphone can be a very useful study aid, but it can also be one hell of a distraction. In general, you want to minimize the number of distractions in your study area. Getting into the habit of leaving your phone outside while you are studying will help you to focus and remove a significant source of temptation.
Sleep Properly
One of the most common reasons that people study to maintain their focus while they are studying is that they are not sufficiently rested. If you try to study while you are physically tired and mentally exhausted, you are going to struggle to maintain proper concentration.
Fortunately, good sleep hygiene is much easier than many people realize. In fact, by addressing two key points, many people can eliminate their sleeping issues.
- Maintain a proper schedule: It’s hard to overstate just how important it is to maintain a proper sleep schedule. If you can reliably go to bed and get up at the same time every day, you will soon find that your body is able to do it without any assistance. Not only will your sleep become more regular, but you will be much less susceptible to the negative impacts of sleep deprivation.
- Eliminate excessive noise and light: Some people find that as soon as the head hits the pillow and their eyes close, they are inundated with intrusive thoughts. These thoughts can make it difficult to get to sleep and can lead to many hours spent tossing and turning in the dark. There is nothing wrong with introducing a little background noise into your bedroom if this helps you to sleep. However, you should try to keep the light and noise in your room while you are sleeping to a minimum. If you do want to fall asleep while listening to something, try to set it up so that it will stop playing once it has finished. Otherwise, you may find yourself being woken up in the middle of the night.
When it comes to studying for a degree, your study regimen will make a big difference to your chances of success. For chronic procrastinators, establishing a consistent study schedule can be difficult, but it is more than worth it.
