How to Speed Up Your Study Session

By Alyssa Laffitte on November 3, 2018

As college students, we are all busy bees with long “to do” lists. Because of this, we need to make the most of the little time we have to study. Our study sessions need to be short, yet productive and efficient. In this article, we’ll discuss how to speed up your study session.

Image via Isorepublic.com

Before you start, gather all the materials you will need

It’s easy to interrupt your study session when you’re hungry, thirsty, or missing something you need. You will get up to get whatever you need, and it will break your concentration momentum. It’ll take you 7 minutes to get focused again. To avoid this, try gathering everything you need before you start your study session. This includes all the study materials you will need (such as textbooks, notebooks, pencils, pens, and highlighters). It also includes a bottle of water or a snack, so that you won’t need to get up and interrupt your study flow if you get hungry or thirsty. If you gather all the materials you will need for your study session, you won’t need to break your concentration by getting up to find them.

Make sure you are well rested, fed, and hydrated

A productive study session begins with a rested, fed, and hydrated student. When your body is happy, your mind will be able to work at its peak capability. If you know you will have to do some heavy duty studying, try to take extra care of yourself so that your brain can think quickly and sharply. The night before a big study session, go to sleep a few minutes earlier. In the morning, eat a nutritious, substantial breakfast, and stay hydrated. This self-care routine will give your brain the fuel it needs to work at its best, and it will make your study session more efficient.

Give yourself a goal for the study session

An effective study session begins with a goal. Having a goal will give you direction; you will know exactly what you want to accomplish by the time you finish your study session. It doesn’t have to be a big goal, it could be as simple as reading and outlining one chapter of your textbook. Also, a goal will allow you to track your productivity. If you did not complete your goal, you know you need to be more productive next time. But if you did, you can feel satisfied, knowing that you were productive. You will be less inclined to procrastinate, because you know you have a goal to complete before you leave your desk! When you set a goal for your study session, it will be more productive.

Remove all distractions

Distractions can easily prolong your study session. Removing these distractions will allow you to finish your work quickly. If you need to, put your phone on “airplane” or “do not disturb” mode (or better yet, put it in a completely different room or tuck it in your backpack, where it is out of sight). If you must work on your computer, use a lockdown browser app (like SelfControl) that will prevent you from accessing distracting social media websites. If you have a chatty roommate, try studying outside your room. When you remove all these distractions, you create an environment that is conducive to studying, and you will have an efficient study session.

Read efficiently

Part of having an efficient study session is reading efficiently. For some people, this simply means skimming the relevant chapters in the textbooks. But for those who haven’t yet mastered the art of skimming (and that’s totally fine!), they can try active reading techniques, like summarizing and paying special attention to the figures. An efficient reader will have an efficient study session!

Use quick studying techniques

In addition to reading efficiently, you can use quick studying techniques that will make for an efficient study session. My personal favorite quick study technique is flashcards. It doesn’t take much time to flip through a stack of flashcards and test yourself. This technique is effective, too, because it requires active retrieval of facts, rather than passively taking in information. You could also make yourself a practice test and take it, as this is also a quick, active studying technique. Using quick, yet effective, study techniques will help you get the most out of your study session.

Give yourself a time limit

Yes, timing yourself does put additional pressure on you. However, it is an incentive to complete your studying goals quickly, which is definitely something you want to do if you do not have much time. I would recommend setting a timer and trying to finish your work before it goes off! The extra pressure will ensure that you can finish your work quickly.

We college students need to use our study time wisely. If you follow the tips in this article, you will be able to make the most of your study time and have an effective, yet quick, study session.

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