Study Smartly and not hard: Part II

Written by Lieutenant Colonel Anil Kumar Nigam


How to Multiply Time?

Bad work habits usually result from some form of fear of failure or procrastination. You learn, overrepparttar time, to protect yourself fromrepparttar 142282 hurt of failing by making excuses. "I would have done better if I had more time" becomes a self-fulfilling reality. In order to have that excuse you unconsciously leave things torepparttar 142283 last minute. Watching a otherwise borings how suddenly becomes very appealing when you have work to do. So how can you learn to pack 48 hours into each day? Surprisingly, it's not that difficult. Most bad work habits tend to be sub-conscious. To avoid them, you first need to be aware of them. Try these tips to a more productive way of working.

Break tasks down. It's much easier to get motivated to start and finish a small task than a large one. For example if you need to do fixrepparttar 142284 cooler for oncoming summers in your study room tomorrow inrepparttar 142285 new house where you have just moved in, chances are that tomorrow will come and you'll find a dozen excuses why you can't work on it. However, if you breakrepparttar 142286 task down into smaller pieces: (a) Fixrepparttar 142287 cooler stand nearrepparttar 142288 window (b) Fixrepparttar 142289 ply or card board onrepparttar 142290 window (c) Putrepparttar 142291 cooler in place suitably (d) Fixrepparttar 142292 water motor and dorepparttar 142293 wiring. Then tell yourself that tomorrow; you'll start by at least fixingrepparttar 142294 cooler stand inrepparttar 142295 place. Chances are pretty good that when tomorrow comes, you will putrepparttar 142296 stand in place because you know exactly what to do and it's not a big job. If you do that, then, you have just started on your goal of fixingrepparttar 142297 cooler.

Set achievable goals. Break tasks into bite-sized pieces. Don't say I will revise whole syllabus tomorrow because that's too vague and too big. You'll find a dozen excuses not to get started on that. Far better is to devise a revision plan which you can conveniently follow.

Reward your successes. It's very important to give yourself a mini-reward for achieving your mini-goals. For example, if you tell yourself "I will start by revising first four chapters." And there after I will have a soda ice cream you will be amazed at how fast you finish revising four chapters.

Start onrepparttar 142298 best tasks first. The hardest thing is to make a start so if you schedule your favorite tasks first then it's much more likely that you'll start on them. Once you make a start,repparttar 142299 momentum will carry you over intorepparttar 142300 other tasks.

Keep records. You can use some kind of record to keep track ofrepparttar 142301 goals, which you have slated for yourself. You can use an index card to list allrepparttar 142302 things you want to do on any day. Inrepparttar 142303 top left corner of each card you may writerepparttar 142304 tasks atrepparttar 142305 start of a day say doing three questions from chapter three ofrepparttar 142306 Science book, solvingrepparttar 142307 last years math question paper, giving a ring to your close friend a ring inrepparttar 142308 evening on his birth day and finally reviserepparttar 142309 History lesson forrepparttar 142310 class test tomorrow. Now list these in order of priority like revising History lessons forrepparttar 142311 test tomorrow in two hours. Solvingrepparttar 142312 three questions from science book in one hour, ringing uprepparttar 142313 friend in evening and then solvingrepparttar 142314 last year math question paper. Then expand each of them into sub-tasks like revisingrepparttar 142315 history lessonsrepparttar 142316 most important topic first followed by second most important topic after a gap of fifteen minutes. Start scoring outrepparttar 142317 sub tasks after you complete those. Some days, you might reprioritize tasks ontorepparttar 142318 next day's card if those are not finished for example you could solve only halfrepparttar 142319 last years math question paper then you can write it again and keep on adding unfinished tasks tillrepparttar 142320 time you finally finish those. The point ofrepparttar 142321 cards is to train yourself to be more disciplined and rememberrepparttar 142322 tasks in order of priority lest you forget some. After some time you will get completely used to it and let me tell you that this will help you in your first job tremendously that you will find out within one month of joiningrepparttar 142323 new jab whenever it happens.

Technology can also help.

The most underrated piece of technology for managing your time is your watch. It's very easy to spend away too much time on watching TV and too little on doing Chemistry which you hate to study. A glance at your watch or clock every now and then will give you a balanced sense of time. It's OK inrepparttar 142324 beginning to be way off on your time estimates. But as you make it a habit you will find that you have developed fair sense of timings.

Club smaller similar time consuming tasks together. There are numerous small similar tasks that are time consuming and are also minor irritants. Club these together and do these in one go. This can be best illustrated with an example. In my child hood I was very often required by my mother, father and elder sister to go torepparttar 142325 nearby shopping complex. My mother would tell me to get milk first and then after half an hour later she will tell me to get some curd. My father invariably will send me to fetch his cigarettes at least four times a day. My sister being elder to me had allrepparttar 142326 right to call me as often as she wanted to. I was most ofrepparttar 142327 time irritated due to this and could not concentrate on my studies. And then suddenly one day I found a very good ad simple solution. I stacked up 10 cigarettes packs in my cupboard to cater for sudden and untimely requirements by my father at odd times. And instead of rushing to shopping center when I was told to get milk by my mother I kept waiting lest she remember some thing else after half an hour, which invariably used to happen. This way I saved at least four to five visits torepparttar 142328 shopping center every day which amounted to more than two hours a day and I also savedrepparttar 142329 fatigue and irritation that I used to develop.

Study atrepparttar 142330 bestrepparttar 142331 day set priorities. You very well know that you are not at your best allrepparttar 142332 time during a course of a typical day. You also roughly know your habits as to when you are at your best and at what time you will probably be at your worst. Studyrepparttar 142333 most difficult subject at a time when you are at your best and reserve your worst time for your entertainment. I do not find any logic in watching TV when you are fresh and receptive and doing math when you are tired both physically as well as mentally. Try doing this and you will find amazing results very soon.

The Phone and The fridge should not be near by. If you do that your mother/ sister will ask you to attend allrepparttar 142334 calls and will make you to open fridge many times over and over again. Resist temptations to leave your studies for unimportant and unrelated tasks in between.

Make Your Time Visual. (Gives you more control over your use of time) ·Write due dates on a monthly or semester calendar. ·Create a weekly schedule with designated study times. ·Make “to do” lists – score off items when you have complete them. ·Keep your calendar and “to do” lists in a highly visible spot – refer to them regularly

Work Smartly and not hard: Part III

Written by Lieutenant Colonel Anil Kumar Nigam


Study Smart and not Hard: Part III

Try out FRT (Fast Revision Technique)

The mind has a tendency to constantly reject all that it considers not important. By revising again and again a message is sent to subconscious mind that it is important. In most cases over 80% of our learned information is lost in just 48 hours! If we don’t revise our mind does not consider it to be important and discardsrepparttar information.

Fast Revision Technique is a very powerful Revision Technique to remember and recall. It s steps are as follows: -

Step 1: Take time between lectures/self study periods to go through what you have just learnt. It can be as early as 1 to 2 hours. This is very crucial to rein-forcerepparttar 142281 learning. Step 2: Set aside at least one hour every day fromrepparttar 142282 start ofrepparttar 142283 year. You must revise as and when new concepts are taught/ learned duringrepparttar 142284 day. Step-3: Give special treatment to your revision on Sundays. On each Sunday, you shall revise everything that you have learned inrepparttar 142285 week, though very briefly. You may also write down few lessons/ solve problems from memory with out looking in your notes just to test your memory and understanding. Just skim over your notes very briskly and make sure you plan gaps between two different subjects. Step-4: On last Sunday ofrepparttar 142286 month allocate three extra hours forrepparttar 142287 monthly revision. After you have revising what you you’ve finished inrepparttar 142288 week. Go through all that you have learnt inrepparttar 142289 entire month. This revision will be easy and fast as it isrepparttar 142290 fourth revision ofrepparttar 142291 month. Step-5: Whenever you learn something new, always take time to refer to what was previously taught/ learned by you. By this you check how well have you graspedrepparttar 142292 matter. By frequent revision we are sending a message to mind that this information is important and are continuously trainingrepparttar 142293 mind to rememberrepparttar 142294 things that you revise. Step-6: Modifyrepparttar 142295 plan so that it best suits you but basic strategy of setting aside time everyday should not be compromised. Celebrate success each time and do remember to punish your self if you are not able to stick to your plan. Best Study Strategies

·Previewrepparttar 142296 text ·Readrepparttar 142297 table of contents to understandrepparttar 142298 topics of each chapter and how they relate to each other. ·Read allrepparttar 142299 headings and subheadings. ·Learn all you can from pictures, maps and graphics. ·Readrepparttar 142300 questions or problems atrepparttar 142301 end ofrepparttar 142302 chapter. ·Take notes inrepparttar 142303 text ·Write short summaries, questions or comments inrepparttar 142304 margin ofrepparttar 142305 text. Helps you to engage withrepparttar 142306 text and gives you a running record of your understanding Or . . . ·Take notes in a separate notebook. Remember – you should synthesize and summarize, and not copy. ·Review your notes within 24 hours. ·In order to transfer what you’ve heard from your short term to long term memory Take a few minutes each day to skim through your notes, fill in information you missed, and identify questions you have. ·Study for an exam withrepparttar 142307 format in mind. You should always refer at least last five year’s question papers. ·Not all exam questions are created equal. Your approach should be different and how much you write should be decided by how many marks it carries and not by how much you know about it. ·Modify your study strategies to reflectrepparttar 142308 type of thinking skills required onrepparttar 142309 exam. ·Have a sense of how many questions will be onrepparttar 142310 exam so that you can allot enough time to each question. ·Study actively. ·Draw diagrams or charts representing relationships between ideas ·Work through practice problems and old exam questions ·Create a study group and quiz each other ·Cover up your notes and talk through a concept as though you were teaching it to someone else. ·Make flash cards or study sheets and review them regularly. ·Form a Study Group: Some facts about study groups.

A word aboutrepparttar 142311 group: It will provide lot many advantages to you. Few of these are listed here and there can be many more.

·Greater opportunities to question, review, clarify, and discuss various otherwise tricky matters. It may happen that few things, which you have not understood, are completely understood by some one inrepparttar 142312 group and he can make you understand that or vice versa. ·Audiences to read, respond to, and discuss your/their ideas and frank and fair comments. ·Encourage a variety of problem solving strategies. Remember there is always some thing in others that you can learn for your improvement. ·Reduce procrastination left alone you, in probability, will keep on delaying certain important things. At times you may not even know as to how should you start. Group members in such can be of tremendous help and at times they can even go torepparttar 142313 extent of forcing you to startrepparttar 142314 work you had slated for yourself and at times they will be instrumental in its successful completion. ·Within a group you will, in general, will remain motivated as allrepparttar 142315 problems could be shared thereby reducing burden on you. ·It will help you to ease anxiety that you may be having. Remember anxiety is a big strain on your energies and it is best to steer clearly away from this monster.

Handling Examinations

Work According To Your Study Style: Some students prefer to work individually; others study better in a group. Match your study style to your personality and study habits. Do not get guided by others blindly after all you know your self best.

Studying By Yourself: Proceed according to a study and revision plan. Start your preparations well in advance so that you don't panic inrepparttar 142316 end. It is ok to study in a group initially to start with but it is better to study alone starting, may be, 1-2 weeks prior to examinations

Studying In A Group: Make sure that your study group has students genuinely interested in studying, else you'll spend all your time criticizingrepparttar 142317 school orrepparttar 142318 latest Shah Rukh Khan film. At least some of your peers should be at your level or better. Brainstorming onrepparttar 142319 possible questions is also a good idea by this you can score out lot of material which may not be asked in examinations..

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