Your study sessions do not have to be torture to you. Yes, they do not even if you are extremely awful at studying. And even if you have the worst memory. Because there are plenty of ways and best study hacks to help you simplify the studying process.
For that reason, we have dived deep into this topic to bring out the best ways and study hacks. Finally, we have come up with the 10 awesome study hacks to instantly skyrocket your memory and make you proud of yourself with your straight As.
Moreover, if you are a student who has recently passed high school and is going to college. But you are confused about whether you should or you should not, here are 5 questions to help you decide if the college can help you live the best of your life.
The best Study Hacks to Improve your Memory
Below you will find 10 best study hacks to actually help you improve your memory. So, do not forget to drop a comment down below if you found any of these interesting and helpful.
10. Chewing Gum
I know it sounds silly. But chewing gum is indeed a brain booster activity. Therefore, chopping your favorite flavor of chew gum, since there are not any side effects, is a great study hack, especially in classes you do not enjoy.
Though scientists are not certain about why chewing gum helps you concentrate, they suppose since chewing is a physical exercise, therefore, it helps your brain to stay awake. Anyways, it is better than caffeine.
9. Walk
It has been proven scientifically that some physical activity or exercise is very effective for your brainpower and memory. The research conducted by Dr. Chuck Hillman of the University of Illinois demonstrated through scientific experiments that about 25 minutes of exercise before an examination or test improves your overall performance.
Besides, walking in the fresh air can not only help you during your tests but also while you are actually preparing for the test. Next time, whether you are going for any test or preparing for the test, do not forget to do some physical activity or else take a short walk.
8. Speak Out Loud
Instead of skimming through your textbook, read out loud so that you can hear yourself clear enough. You will be amazed at how much effective this hack is. Besides, being helpful for maximum retention, speaking out loud is also beneficial for the following reasons.
- Strengthens your vocabulary power
- Increases attention span
- Strengthens cognition
- Increases focus
- Improves memory
- Offers free entertainment
Warning! Through reading out loud is a good practice for maximum retention, we do not recommend you try this in a library or a crowded studying space.
7. The Feynman Technique
Richard Feynman is a noble award-winning scientist and a great explainer. He developed an outstanding learning technique called the Feynman Technique.
According to the Feynman technique, there are four simple steps to help you learn any concept easily.
Step 1. Choose the topic and explain to somebody who has zilch knowledge about it. The key point here is to use the simplest language possible.
Step 2. Then, identify the areas you could not explain well enough.
Step 3. Now go back to the source material: your class notes, your textbook or probably to your best buddy Google. Study and practice all the weak areas.
Step 4. Finally, try to explain the topic to someone and check for weak points while explaining. If you had no weak areas, then congratulations. In case you had any problems, then repeat the above steps until you have learned it well enough.
You may click here to learn more about the Feynman technique.
6. The Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro technique is a time management technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in 1980s. You use a timer to break down your study or work into intervals. Each interval is called a Pomodoro.
Traditionally, you have 25 minutes to study with full concentration then you get 5 minutes of break.
We recommend you utilize the 5-minute break with some physical exercise. Moreover, there are six steps to use the technique.
- Decide the task you have to complete.
- Set the timer (traditionally for 25 minutes).
- Work on your task with full concentration.
- When the timer rings, stop working. Then, put a checkmark on a piece of paper.
- If you have fewer checkmarks than 4, then take shorter breaks (usually 3 minutes). Then, go back to step 2.
- After four Pomodoros, take longer breaks (usually 10 to 30 minutes).
5. FlashCards
Flashcards are great when you have to memorize a lot of facts. Since they are a very inexpensive deal and easy to carry, they are great for learning and memorizing vocabulary, dates, and figures.
The beauty of flashcards is that you can easily figure out what you know or what you do not know so that you can focus on things you do not know. Using flashcards is very easy and there are a lot of ways to use them. The best and the easiest one is using with spaced repetition and Pomodoro technique.
Initially, you need to make your flashcards. Since flashcards are of different colors, you can color-coordinate your subject. For instance, you can use pink flashcards for English, Blue for Maths and Yellow for Chemistry. Or else you can color coordinate chapter wise. The choice is yours to make. Write the term on one side and a short definition on the other side of the flashcard.
Once your flashcards are ready, it is time to study. You can study your flashcards using the Pomodoro technique. Study for 20 to 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. During this time, you can go for a walk, do some light exercise or probably fill your cup of coffee. Then, come back and review. The terms you could define by now, sort them into I KNOW pile. Whereas the terms you could not define or answer, sort them into I DO NOT KNOW pile. Then, take some time off and review again; you will see that the I DO NOT KNOW pile decreases after some trials.
Repeat this process once in two to three days.
4. Eat the Frog First
Mark Twain once said:
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
The frog is that task on your to-do list you have no motivation to tackle. As a result, you will keep procrastinating until the end of the day or worse until the deadline. Besides, due to the Frog, you will put off all your tasks.
But only if you could tackle your worst or hardest task first thing in the morning, you may get lucky in going to sleep with a sense of pride and accomplishment at the end of the day.
Thus, tackle your worst to-do first thing in the morning.
3. Study Tools
Studying can be a total grudge if you are not using effective strategies. On the other hand, the time you spend studying can be; as Shakespeare would say; heaven-kissing beautiful if you use it wisely and effectively.
There are tons of management and studying apps and Websites to help you overcome the anxiety and lack of motivation caused by weak memory. You can use Todoist to schedule and prioritize your tasks, Khan Academy to learn and clear your concept about any topic relating to Mathematics, Science, Programming, etc.
To find out more amazing apps to customize your smartphone, click here.
2. Reward Yourself
We all have our favorites but I reckon that you will agree that rewarding yourself with something sweet or your favorite meal is the most fun one. Rewarding yourself with sweets may seem like a frivolous strategy. However, it plays a vital role in keeping you motivated.
When we reward ourselves, we feel energized, counted, and best of all motivated. Rewarding yourself is not selfishness or frivolous strategy. Instead, by rewarding yourself you make yourself gain self-control and sense of responsibility.
If I give more to myself, I can ask more from myself. Self-regard isn’t selfish. -Gretchen Rubin
1. Keep Experimenting
There are no perfect ways or hack which can help you keep your grades straight always. But it is the strategy of trying out new ways and hacks to experiment with the best ones. The key point to remember that if a particular hack does not work, you can experiment with a new one. Generally, it takes a person 28 to 60 days on average to form a habit.
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