The question of how many hours we should study depends almost exclusively on the person and the respective content that he has to study. In this post, we’re going to read how to organize your study plan in 7 easy steps.
There are times at which people are not able to utilise the time they have with them. In some instances, even if people are devoting many hours, they are not able to make the expected results.
So the focus should be on effective utilisation of the time available. This article will see how to plan your study hours and get the maximum out of them. We will also see the minimum recommended hours to be spent.
Minimum study hours
Stuffing the entire syllabus to your brain in a single stretch is a bad tendency, and it is essential to take enough time. So the basic rule that we should follow is to start much early since we won’t be able to study the entire day when we are awake effectively.
As we said before, study hours depend on our course material and individual nature. However, the minimum number of hours that we should dedicate is some 1.5 hours for the course material of the 1-hour lecture. For a 3 hour lecture, we will have to study some 4.5 hours to 5 hours minimum.
This May go up depending on the complexity of the material concerned.
Break schedule
It is observed that Human brains are more efficient if the study hours are appropriately organised with intervening breaks. After every 45 minutes, it is advisable to take a short break, and these breaks would increase your efficiency.
Realistic study plan
You will have several other chores to perform other than academics. Organise your study plan accordingly. Since we’re living in the era of technology; so it is a must to adopt the latest technology news and trends to keep yourself updated.
If the time you have with you to study is just 8 hours after your other work, you won’t be able to use the entire rest of the 8 hours completely. You will have to break it down and add interspersing breaks. So the study plan should be managed accordingly.
Since you have to deal with a crunch of time on such occasions, it is advisable to start much early, anticipating the exam schedule. Distribute the work to be done entirely through this period.
When to study
Early morning time is generally considered as the best time to prepare yourself for study. However, many people find it comfortable to study late at night. It is advisable to do it in the morning or compartmentalise the time to two and dedicate the morning hours to the work which needs more focus.
Where to study
Since time is not unlimited, it is advisable to select a study environment where you are able to dedicate your maximum. Distractions are significant challenges. So they are to be avoided entirely. People find it more effective to study outside their homes.
This could be since a work-life separation is made possible by going outside the home. If you can make this distinction inside your home itself, you need not go out always and waste the time of travel.
Avoid hearing music and engaging in other works while you study.
Organise revisions
The human brain will naturally forget the things studied. So you will have to revise regularly. This should also be included in your study hours. Schedule a small portion of your study hours to revise the things that you have studied before. This revision could be done by attending mock tests and organising group discussions.
Active studying
The time is most productive if you are studying actively. Plunge yourself into the subject area and study with at most interest. Engage if possible with physical activity with the subject you study. This would facilitate further retention. Resort to group discussion or peer teaching if possible. This would further enhance your productivity.
Final preparation
This is a crucial stage—plan proper time to be invested for this. Try to avoid studying entirely new domains during this period. Make use of this time to revise actively and also to attend mock tests. Dedicate more time to the part which you found more challenging during your primary reading of the material.
Breaks are to be ensured during this time as well.
After all, all these years of academic activity were actually preparing us to study how to study. Make use of that experience. Love what you study. Keep in mind all the points discussed above. Show mercy to yourself. Don’t stuff things into your memory.
Organise your content and slowly feed them to your memory. We have tried to answer how to effectively use the available time rather than how much time you study. The former question is of more importance. We hope you benefited from the ideas shared here.
Kindly let us know your opinion about these suggestions in the comment section.