Study tips for students that are actually helpful

When it comes to study time, we all have different learning styles and motivators; what might be useful to one person won’t work for another. But what if you don’t want to spend the next two terms learning all about your natural learning style?

To save you time, we’ve gathered up the most helpful study and revision hacks to try. You’ll be time-blocking your way to success in no time.

Body doubling

A relatively new term for an age-old practice, body doubling describes the act of working alongside another person to motivate you. Teaming up with friends and course mates is most the obvious way to do this, either in bigger study groups or pairs. You can even try organising yourselves into “teacher” and “student” groups where you allocate certain parts of a text or subject to “teach” your friends about, and vice versa. Being the teacher ensures you really have to understand the subject matter, while the “students” get to learn from a peer on their own level. And you can still benefit from body doubling even without a group of friends to work with – there are thousands of videos and streams on YouTube that you can tune into for company as you tackle your to-do list.

Time blocking

Everyone from your mates to your mum has probably told you plan your study time into a calendar or diary, but have they told you to block out time for fun too? The key to a successful revision or study plan is to be realistic, balanced and build in plenty of rewards so you stay motivated and healthy. After all, you’ll never do your best work if you’re exhausted, hungry and lonely. Plus, when you open your diary for the day and see you’ve got a group outing with friends and a chocolate break timetabled in alongside your revision session, you won’t feel quite so resentful about the hard work part. Aim for a good balance of focused work sessions across subjects and deadlines, punctuated by physical activity, social occasions and mini treats that recharge you along the way.

Pomodoro Technique

Really another form of time blocking, Pomodoro Technique involves setting a timer and working in short, focused blasts during which you do nothing else – and we really mean nothing else – except your allotted task while the clock is ticking. Work blocks (or “Pomodoros”) are typically 25 minutes long with 5-minute breaks in between, and a longer half-hour break after every four Pomodoros. This way of working allows you to keep your attention on the task at hand, motivates you to keep going as the clock ticks down, and gives you little breaks to stretch your legs and have a quick look at your phone without getting completely derailed by TikTok for hours. When the timer dings, you get back to work!

Turning study into a hobby

If the very mention of the word revision brings you out in a sweat, try reframing it by weaving in something you love. If you’re a budding artist, design a poster about the key motifs in Macbeth instead of listing them in words. If you’re a music fan, create a new playlist of songs you’ve been meaning to listen to (as long as there are no distracting lyrics). And if you’re a poet, try writing out your revision notes in rhyming couplets. Whatever sounds like fun to you, build it into your next study session and it’ll feel a lot less like hard work.

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