Unfortunately, we are not all born with the capacity of remembering things as soon as we read them – and we are definitely not born with much knowledge about the world around us either. Studying a particular subject can be extremely rewarding (for your career, for your self-esteem and so on), but aside from that, it can be extremely difficult as well. How do you study more effectively and how do you make sure you remember the things you have read about? Here are some tips that will help you bring your studying hours to a whole new level!
Flashcards and Cram
Flashcards are a great way to ensure that you are studying effectively and not simply memorizing things by heart (which is not the best thing to do considering the fact that you’ll probably forget everything sooner rather than later). Luckily, technology and the Internet come to our aid from this point of view as well! Cram.com is a website where you can find electronic flashcards from virtually any topic you may be studying and they will be very well written and very helpful at the same time as well. And if you want to study them on your way home on the subway or on the bus, you can do that as well because Cram also has apps available for Android and iPhone users as well – so you can carry the flashcards with you wherever you go.
Colors, Sounds and Smells
We are not all built the same way and this stands true for studying as well. People learn differently: some of them learn better when they read something, others can visualize the information better when it has been underlined with various colors, other people learn better when they associate the information with sounds (hence the success of the audiobooks as well). Even more, there are people who learn better when they associate a particular kind of information with a smell. Try out all these things and see which one works best for you – then, apply it whenever you need to study heavier information that is more difficult to memorize.
Eat Right
Yes, you did read that well. Eating can influence our brains too, not just our bodies. It is a proven fact that certain foods help people retain new pieces of information much more effectively and that they enhance the brain’s activity as well. Among the all-time goodies you should include in your diet if you want to study more efficiently, fatty fish (salmon, tuna) is one of the best ones. Delicious and healthy, this kind of fish contains tons of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to help the brain function smoother and better as well (kind of like good oil for a car engine).
Don’t Do Everything the Night Before
This is most likely not going to amaze you in any way, but studying the night before the exam is the least efficient method you have at hand. Instead of cramming everything into your brain 12 hours before you actually need to use that information, try studying ahead of time. Sticking to a schedule may feel difficult – but it will definitely pay off when you’ll be able to use the information you learned efficiently for whatever purpose you may have to use it.
