By Caitlin Muir
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Stay Focused – Do you use Chrome? Install this app. It will keep you from checking your Facebook notifications every 94 seconds, stalking the cute friend of a friend you just met, or spamming your twitter followers. It forces you to focus on your work instead of wasting your time chatting, stalking, and spamming.
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Take a Break – Studies have shown that the best way to optimize your study time is to study in 45 minute chunks. Block out an hour at a time, study for 45 minutes, and then spend the rest of the hour stretching, eating, walking, or whipping out a Soduku puzzle.
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Feed Your Brain – It’s the mental Olympics and you, my friend, are going to train like an athlete. Get on a meal plan. Foods that are high in protein (nuts, meats, granola) feed your brain and help it perform better. Your brain is a muscle and it needs protein to function. Foods that are heavy on carbs – breads, French fries, and even good ol’ Idaho spuds – can make your brain sluggish. And the Twinkie you found on the floor? Throw it away.
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Schedule yourself – When I was in school, I was also working, volunteering, and trying to maintain a social life. I took a serious look at my calendar and scheduled my day out by the hour. It can be incredibly hard to stick with a schedule but with some discipline, you’ll have time to study, work, and play.
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Get Physical – Even though I was testing out of classes, I signed up for a PE class at the local community college. It was cheaper than a gym membership and having a coach helped keep me on track. The discipline of working out helped me with the discipline of studying. There’s some great stuff thathappens in your brain that primes it for studying, too.
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Go Big or Go Home – What is your goal? Write it down. Challenge yourself to do something hard. So you want to take a CLEP test in three weeks? Why not two? Take a hard look at what it would take to accomplish your big dream. I find it’s helpful to work backwards. Name the goal and then the processes you need to accomplish to own it.
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Reward yourself – You can reward yourself at the end of every milestone or you can really reward yourself when you are done with your degree. I did both. After a CLEP test, I would treat myself to coffee. Okay, I worked in a coffee shop at the time so it wasn’t that big of a deal. But at the end of my college career, I hopped on a plane to the UK instead of walking with my classmates at commencement. But that’s another blog post.
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Make it Social – There are times when you can crowdsource your homework. It’s the smart thing to do. Having problems with a math problem? Get help. Get a tutor or visit the Khan Academy. Want an expert opinion? Connect with that expert on Twitter. Just make sure to manage your time.
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Set the Mood – There are songs that I just couldn’t listen to when I was studying. You can’t belt out R.E.S.P.E.C.T. with Aretha and memorize financial equations. At least, I couldn’t. I found (through trial and error) that I could crank out papers with ease when I was listening to certain soundtracks. Find what works for YOU. Some people find classical music helps.
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Dress the Part – Okay, it was fun writing papers on my bed. But honestly? None of my best work was done in my pajamas. So get up, get dressed, and get out of the house. Leave the sweats at home. Dress like a young professional and get your act to a library or coffee shop.
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