Over the 10 years the Academy has been in business we have researched and learnt a fair few things about productive studying. You may have read one of our previous blog posts about this topic or if you are already one of our students perhaps your tutor has shared some of our tips with you.
But as with so many things in life, there is nothing like the knowledge gained from first-hand experience. As our students work their way through one of our wedding or event industry training courses they inevitably develop their own techniques and discover tools to make their study sessions as productive as possible.
So we thought we’d ask our Academy students and graduates to share their top tried and tested study methods with us, so we could share them with the rest of you.
Plan Study Sessions Ahead
“Put it in your diary and set a reminder – Tell people around you – Set an achievable goal of what you want to achieve in those hours.”
“Plan ahead and be organized. Take it easy and breathe, let everything take its times. Nothing gets better by doing a little of everything all the time, or stressing through it. I have also always liked the rule of “everything that takes less than ten minutes, do it straight away”.”
“Setting a due date for each assignment and sticking to it!”
“Know your aims and what you want to achieve in the time you have available.”
“Set up a study planner, so you know when you can fit study in, & what you’ll be studying. I do mine on a Sunday evening for the week. Also by creating a task list of everything you want to get done, then you may be able to fit certain tasks around other jobs.”
“Read the assignment, unit test at the start of the module and then you have this in mind as you are moving forward. Be comfortable where you study.”
“Schedule it in each week early in the morning before I go to work.”
“Dedicate a quite time to get into studying. Get the little jobs out of the way in the week and free up the weekend. Or time studying in accordance with football!”
Set the Study Environment & Mindset
“Eliminate distractions, set goals and be disciplined. However, do not beat yourself up when you fall short as life can happen – just get back up and try again.”
“Find a quiet place, put on some music.”
“Remove distractions & focus.”
“Be in a quiet place where you can concentrate.”
“Try to stay positive. Don’t worry what other people are doing. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect! Keep your dreams and aspirations at the forefront to keep you motivated. Don’t try to do too much in one go. Be realistic with timescales.”
“Great lighting, fresh air & quietness.”
“Don’t push it, if your attention is waning step away for a minute then come back to it.”
“Don’t let others disturb you during the study, find a silent place and dedicate to your studies a particular time slot, always the same every day.”
Tried and Tested Study Techniques
“Write things down in your notebook, take a break after every 45min-1h, if you feel you are not focused better leave it and come back – do not force yourself.”
“Always keep a paper and pen close to you to write down important info.”
“Rid all distractions and work on a set thing each time so not to overload yourself”
“Set a goal/deadline & get a study partner so you keep each other motivated.”
“I have a notebook and I write the important things, I print the annexes and read them in my room when I finished my day. That way I focus my time on the course and watch the video during my study time.”
“Be focused”
“Don’t procrastinate or lose time on social media. If you must do a very difficult assignment, force yourself to start, also only doing a very little or simple step. The important is not to make yourself stop by the fear or the confusion.”
“Time management and studying in small chunks.”
“Stick to your goals. It doesn’t matter if that’s 5 hours a week or less. As long as you are committed to that time as study and are fully productive in that time.”
“Take a break every hour or so in order to freshen your mind.”
“We are living in a world surrounded by technology. Although that’s a way forward I still stand by a personal organiser and journal. I love writing things down and leave myself reminders of anything I see that may help.”
“Download the sessions as a PDF to read on the go and take notes from later”
“Lists and enjoy it!”
Top Tools and Apps
- Google and all its apps
- Canva for mood boards
- Asana for managing tasks
- Pic collage (on iPad) for mood boards
- Study Alerts! Motivation Alerts!
- Trello is good for study planning
…And of course a good notepad and a cup of tea or coffee!
And if you have ever wanted to know how our students study their courses our survey showed that most people study on their laptop, committing 5 hours or less per week, and find the full variety of our media (written, audio and video) the best way to learn.
A huge thank you to our Academy students and graduates who contributed their time and thoughts to this survey in order to help other students or those of you who are thinking of enroling with us for your future studies.
#TeamAcademy
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