Studying is something a lot of us do, whether it’s for college or our job. The thing is that it can be pretty stressful having to learn a lot of new and complex information and distill it into a clear and cogent assignment. However, if you find yourself in this predicament, don’t freak out because there are some ways that you can beat study stress and still come out with a great piece of work at the end. Read on to find out more.
Take regular breaks
It may sound obvious now, but when you have a deadline looming at school it’s very tempting to work solidly toward your goal. Unfortunately, that isn’t the most effective way of doing things, as we can only pay attention to one thing for a maximum of 40 minutes. That means anything past that time is not going to be your best work.
So to keep the level of your comprehension, and your writing up don’t work for any longer than 40 minutes at a stretch. Use the Pomodoro technique to help you with this, where you work at a full focus for a set time and then have 5-10 minutes off to refresh your brain. A method that makes it easier to devote yourself fully once the cycle begins again.
Know when to ask for help
Struggling away on your own with a topic or assignment you don’t really understand isn’t going to do anyone any good. That is why it’s vital that you know when and who to ask for help.
For example, if you are pursuing a law degree, you likely won’t understand all the terms right away. Enlisting the help of a senior student or forming a study group can be helpful.
Contact organizations like a custom essay writing service for help editing your assignments, or speak to your course leaders if you aren’t quite sure what you are being asked to do. After all, it’s better to spend your time doing this than getting yourself into a bigger mess with things you don’t understand, only to disregard all of this schoolwork in the end because it doesn’t fit the brief anyway.
Ditch the study groups
Study group sounds like a great idea, and can sometimes work if you have put in the hard work of learning the material beforehand. Then your study group can be about testing each other and practicing your knowledge. However, if it’s an assignment that you have to write, being in the company of your peers is more likely to be a distraction than a help.
That is why it’s best to give yourself some quiet, focused time to work alone, rather than getting together with your classmates and risking not getting anything done.
Plan your time
Last of all to beat study stress you have to plan your time. This ensures that you will meet your school deadlines having done all of the steps necessary to succeed.
Just don’t go overboard and spend too much time on color-coding schedules, as this can eat into the allotment you have to actually complete the project. It’s something that can make your original task even harder and more stressful, and that is not what you are aiming for at all!
Top photo credit: Pixabay
In my innovation class we are doing independent projects and my project is focusing on stress. This was very helpful!
Wonderful to hear!
Great tips! I definitely need to plan my time better. I also agree with you about ditching study groups. Too much hassle for me personally! One thing I think helps reduce stress while studying is having a clean, declutter space. I wrote a post about what to declutter as a college student if you’re interested. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing these tips it will be useful for my upcoming tests!
Wonderful! Wishing you all the best on your tests :)
Thank you 😊
Thank you for your open mind.Nice for a younger person with an open mind.
Appreciative!
I am an older dude and I have always found stress to be a great motivating force. The less time you have the more it motivates you. You are in your youth you have much to learn, not all old people are damaged. Rather arrogant for you to think so.
Very helpful post, thanks Christy :)
Appreciative :)
Your point on planning your time, Christy, is excellent. I did exceptionally well in academia and that is because I was very disciplined and worked to a study schedule which I implemented as early as possible. I never had to panic, work through the night or stress unduly about exams.
And now you take that organized spirit and apply it to your blogging and book ventures. Wonderful to hear, Robbie xx
My personal favourite is working out. Whenever in doubt workout. Whenever stressed, hit the gym to distress. It has never not worked. :)
Great you’ve found what works for you! It clears your mind :)
I agree with ditching study group. They always seemed to only increase my anxiety about the class. Great list, Christy.
I never liked groups.
Helpful
Great tips, Christy, but I continue to challenge those “limited focus” studies that set a particular upward limit, like 40 minutes. That would NEVER work for me, for example.
In my [vast] experience, sustaining productive focus is more individual specific, and MUCH longer for more than a few folks. For them (and for me), taking frequent breaks is actually a distraction – and we lose time to transitioning back into “the zone” – which is stressful in and of itself, decimating planning.
There IS an attentional limit for all of us, however – and it is wise to experiment to find your own and work within it.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
Wonderful feedback, Madelyn! As you explain, attentional limits can vary widely. As always, study results are to be heeded cautiously given limitations and sometimes bias. Keep your posts coming and thanks so much for the great comments <3
Thanks for understanding my come-from, Christy. ALL statistics represent an average of the composite only – and then only a composite of the results of the participants in those particular studies.
I think we tend to forget that and take statistics as gospel – more and more as they get passed along – unless we remind ourselves not to.
Take, for example, the myth of how long it takes to form a habit. MOST people still think that 30 days is correct – which wasn’t even the result of a study! It took several decades for someone to even question that meme. Turns out the average is 66 days – and that doesn’t even reflect the time it takes ALL people to develop ANY habit.
xx,
mgh
Yes I always keep an open mind here in the comments section – and overall in life I try to do the same ;) A lot of people take research results as the be all and end all but I know to look a bit deeper as things aren’t always what they seem and, as you say, things can get taken as fact simply because they’re said again and again (like the 30-day habit formation example you gave). Big hugs! It’s very hard to offend me, by the way ;)
Offending you would NEVER be my intention, Christy. You have my total respect and admiration.
xx,
mgh
Same to you, dear M. Same to you xx
I think we are alike in that we don’t automatically personalize, expecting the best and giving people the benefit of the doubt. But thanks for underscoring. :) <3
xx, mgh
Yes, my partner recently said a similar sentiment to me and I took it as a high compliment. I think you and I respond this way because we have had others do exactly the opposite in their dealings with us.. we are empaths for sure. Thanks for the great conversations today <3
DItto. Your partner sounds great, btw.
xx,
mgh
Awww xx
I needed this back when I was in college, Christy. Our study groups typically turned into gab fests. :)
Yes, ours too – I would have the group session and then head back home to do the real work ;)
Good advice, thanks!
Hey thanks for this study motivation. It is really very helpful.
Wonderful to hear!
💙
Hey Christy,
I’m sorry I did not find your tips while I was studying law.But we learn our whole life, right. Learning is like swimming upstream,as soon as we stop, the river returns us. Great post .Thank you so much
Happy diwali miss.oxford😉
Awww :) Enjoy the celebration! xx
😉
This is really helpful. Thanks a lot christy. A must share post.
Your comment humbles me! :)
It was all my pleasure.
Happy Friday!