Learning at Home Effectively

How to Study Effectively and for Long Hours while being at home during Lockdown

“The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.”

– Schopenhauer

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While studying for exams, we look for efficient ways to maximize focus, effectively manage time, and study for an extensive duration. Think about the relief you’ll feel after completing the syllabus for an exam and finally getting some time to relax. While some believe that studying with short breaks is useful for retaining knowledge, it is possible to squeeze more hours into your study routine without losing focus. So, if you are looking for tricks and techniques on how to study at home or at college consistently for long hours then, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s explore helpful tips and tricks for extending your study routine without worrying about knowledge retention and focus.

How to Study for Long Hours without Getting Bored?

Want to study for 10+ hours without getting distracted or bored? Well, it isn’t an easy task, to begin with. But you can surely train your mind to stay focused and away from distractions through certain exercises. Here is how you can study for long hours without falling into distractions:

1. Set Achievable Study Tasks First of all, start with setting practical goals for yourself. Take up chapters and concepts that are more scoring, topics of your interests as well as where you are lagging behind and then set a practical schedule and achievable tasks.

2. Learn to Prioritize You must always know which concepts, topics or subjects you need to focus more on and thus prioritize them accordingly. Swap subjects between an hour or 45 minutes or any other time you will feel bored and take up an interesting concept. You can always use a unique subject combination of interconnected subjects or topics which will increase your focus and learning power.

3. Create the Best Focused Environment to Study Finding a peaceful place to focus on your studying is also essential for minimizing distractions and boredom. So, you must first look for a place where you won’t be disturbed for a long time (or however long your study time is) and then turn off all the distractions. Put some peaceful study music and then begin.

4. Incorporate Breaks While studying for long hours, you must always incorporate short breaks to relax whether it’s just for a stretch, a long walk or a scroll through your feed. Make sure to put a timer on your breaks and don’t get carried away.

5. Add Some Fun to your Study Sessions Next, you must also try to make your study time fun either by asking a friend to study with you or adding music or engaging learning methods. This doesn’t mean that if you have set a 10-hour study session, you will be watching concept videos throughout these long hours. Rather you should take a certain chunk of your study time, and call up a friend for a group study session or use a learning app to finish up some tutorials. For the remaining time, you must incorporate focus and minimum distraction to get the best out of your time.

6. Nap when Needed Napping has been found to be useful for recharging our brains and improving focus. You can nap for fewer than 30 minutes in between your study time and it is always better to take this nap at the same time every day as this will sync it with your circadian rhythm.

7. Active Not Passive Study Most of us often study passively for long hours without even realizing that we didn’t take away much from our study session. The best way to study actively is to write down your own notes, make flashcards of concepts, or learn through the memory palace technique. This means you must stay involved while learning anything so that you are not on autopilot throughout the session.

Here are some of the best science-backed techniques to focus while studying:

• Meditate for at least 20 minutes every day

• Create a study schedule

• Use soothing study music

• Turn off all the technology that distracts you

• Prepare a perfect study spot

• Get up for a walk or workout

• Train your mind to focus for a longer time

• Schedule breaks in-between your study

• Don’t be a multitasker!

Even with trying all these techniques, you can slowly train your mind to learn to focus whenever you study but you should remember to not try too hard, always take a few minutes to relax when it becomes difficult to focus.

Essential Tips & Tricks

As discussed, it is possible to stretch study hours and this can be achieved by following certain tricks. So, if you also want to know that How can you study for long hours without getting tired then go through the enlisted points:

Keep Your Mind Fresh

General advice would be to keep your mind fresh and well-rested before you begin. A tired and groggy mind is not even useful for a shorter study session as it may result in a lack of motivation and prolonged procrastination.

Organize your Task List

Always organize the topics of your day and start with the difficult ones in order to complete them as early as possible. This way, you will be left with the easier ones at the end of the day.

Play Peaceful Music to Focus

Instrumental music can amazingly help you in concentrating and focusing on your studies. There are many websites and online platforms offering free audio playlists for better focus, less stress as well as enhanced concentration. Stay away from loud music as it can distract you though it mainly varies from one person to another on which type of music helps them focus. So, plug in your earphones, zoom out of the outside world and dive deeper into the topics you are studying.

Eat Healthy

An empty stomach can result in a bad study session and you may also feel lethargic if you’ve eaten too much fast food.

Steal a Power Nap

Steal a nap between different subjects or topics. Our mind has limited powers and may stop working after a period of time due to lethargy. Hence, taking power naps might prove useful.

Physical Activity

Indulge in exercises and other physical activities to keep your mind and your body fit. Being physically active has a positive impact on our brain which further helps in improving focus.

De-Stress

Avoid taking stress about exams. It is necessary to ensure that your mind is not full of worries and tensions when you are sitting down to study. Having a clear mind will help in retaining more information.

Short Intervals

Take regular breaks during long study sessions. These breaks will work as restoring sessions for your mind giving you some space to freshen up and concentrate better with a relaxed mind.

Plan your Day

It is advisable to plan your study sessions during the day because you can stay less drowsy in the daylight which will further assist in increasing your productivity.

Find a Study Space Where You can Focus Better

The study space you have chosen will also play a central role in whether you are able to study for long hours or end up getting entangled with distractions! Select a peaceful study room where you won’t be distracted or you can also shuffle between your usual study space and a library or a greener space where you can concentrate easily and move away from the noises and bustling life.

Hopefully, this blog provided you with helpful tips and techniques to answer the question of how to study effectively and that too for long hours while being at home in this lockdown. You can always contact the AIS Nahan mentors that can help you master your competitive exam preparations with the best coaching and preparatory sessions thus increasing your chances to get into your dream university.