With exams just around the corner, be calm – and take things one step at a time with these tips from a fellow student
by Eunice Sng / Illustrations by Vivian Lim
1. Study with friends
Find a solid group of besties who can motivate you and give you emotional support in stressful times. Use the Pomodoro technique together – working in focused, 25-minute intervals – during these group study sessions. Life’s much better with friends around.
2. Pool resources with pals
Have no time to practise every essay question? Work with friends! Creating a shared Google drive to share resources is more efficient than completing things alone. Divide the workload among different people by getting each schoolmate to work on a certain number of topics or questions – eventually, you’ll have access to sample responses from everyone.
3. Teach your peers
Explain study material to your buddies in your own words. By explaining things aloud, you’ll be prompted to plug the gaps in your own learning. Cite examples and create connections between concepts, just like any teacher would do. You can also quiz your friends to further consolidate the content.
4. Give your study area a makeover
Snazz things up with motivational posters or small shelves to keep your items organised. You can also decorate your desk with objects of a similar colour palette – colours like green and blue have been shown in scientific studies to improve focus and efficiency. Whether at home or in hall, opt for a personalised and tidy workspace that complements your studying habits.
5. Slap on some music
Soothing music – like lo-fi or jazz – can alleviate anxiety, improving your concentration and mental stamina. Curate a playlist with your favourite instrumental tunes and press play when poring through lecture notes. Noise-cancelling headphones may help cancel out distracting sounds from your environment.
6. Use mnemonic techniques
Learn by processing what you have read and injecting your unique take on the topic. This can be creating cute drawings to represent certain content or arranging information into striking flow charts. Enterprising souls can even venture into creating short poems to aid memory.
7. Choose an aesthetic study spot
For some, studying at visually appealing places is a great motivation booster. If staying at home dulls your mood, bring your laptop to a pretty café nearby and sip on some latte. Or head to the Yunnan Garden pavilion for a change of scenery. After all, studies have shown that nature promotes learning by improving your attention.
8. Do a little CSI on lesson content
Always dig deeper and investigate every detail. Say you’re studying a topic, actively find something in what you’ve read that confuses you or prompts further discussion. The answers you get will be useful in helping you “connect the dots”, especially in this age of interdisciplinary studies.
9. Take regular breaks
We aren’t robots. Studying for long hours without rest will only decrease your productivity. Take a power nap, stretch your body or stroll through a nearby park to recharge before jumping back into work. This way, you’ll feel recharged and better prepared to tackle the next task.
10. Eat brain foods
You are what you eat. To fuel your study sessions, try including leafy greens, fatty fish, berries and walnuts into your diet. Research suggests these foods slow memory decline by repairing brain cells, thus boosting your thinking abilities while keeping your energy levels up throughout the day.
HEY! STUDENT WRITER
Eunice loves burning vanilla-scented candles and discovering the latest cultural events. When she is not busy chasing deadlines, you will find her curled up in bed with a fantasy novel.
This story was published in the Oct-Dec 2022 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in PDF format, click here.
