Life is full of distractions. We all have responsibilities and commitments outside school that vie for our time and attention. That’s why it’s so important to seek out the tips and tricks that help you focus and maximize the effectiveness of your study sessions. To help you get the most out of your allied health training, keep these helpful tips in mind to maximize your productivity:
- Get organized. Piles of paper around your desk or study area can be a major distraction. Optimize your time by setting up an organizational system and sticking to it. It may help to keep different folders for each course on your computer and break each course into similar sub-folders, including class notes, assignments, projects, and study notes.
- Get plenty of sleep. This can be easier said than done for a busy student, but it’s important to be rested to ensure that you are as alert as possible.
- Tailor your study materials. Textbooks can be bulky and force you to sift through a lot of material to find the information you need. To save time, utilize Post-Its as bookmarks to allow you to quickly reference key information (bonus points for color coding your sticky notes).
- Take breaks. Cram sessions can be necessary to prepare for a big exam, but be sure to take a few minutes every hour to walk around, get something to eat or drink, and get some fresh air. This will help to briefly take your mind off of what you’re studying so that when you come back to your materials, you can review them with a fresh eye.
- Take advantage of technology. In this day and age, you don’t always need to lug around heavy textbooks – using an iPad or Kindle is a great alternative if your study materials are available in the necessary format. With a tablet you can create calendar appointments to schedule your lectures, tutorials, and study sessions to make sure you don’t miss them. If you have an important lecture, most phones double as a tape recorder that you can use to record the session.
Forming solid study habits is crucial to maximizing your productivity as a student. At Arizona College, we offer a tutoring program for those who learn better with a partner or as part of a group. If you think you would benefit from studying with a tutor, speak with your instructor about scheduling a tutoring session.
Information in this blog post is accurate as of July 11, 2013.