How to Study Less and Achieve More

Study and review is the only way to truly master any subject, though extra study and review during a person’s free time is not exactly what most people have in mind when they are looking for fun. Minimizing study time without lowering achievement, then, is the ideal so that social activities can be maintained without falling short of a qualification. Even better is the ability to study less and achieve more scholastically than when a greater number of hours are devoted to study.

Being able to study less and achieve more is not difficult. The strategy here is the same for all ages — make the most of whatever time you devote to your studies. The more you get out of each study period, the fewer periods you will need, freeing up time to engage in activities that are more desirable.

Here are a few tips a student can follow to study less and achieve more:

• Figure out the time of day that is most productive and hold study periods during those hours — If you are alert in the morning and can get a lot done soon after you wake up, the morning will be your most profitable time of study. Since the morning person is less alert later in the evening, he or she can potentially squeeze the three hours worth of learning they might accomplish at night into two morning hours of study, freeing up an hour a day for other activities. Those who work better at night can apply this principle and gain more out of nighttime review sessions than morning study times.
• Minimize distractions — Anything that takes your mind off of your studies hampers your efficiency. Having the TV on while you study, for instance, can make it hard to concentrate on your work, extending the length of time it takes you to complete it. If distractions are eliminated, more can be accomplished in less time.
• Place strict limitations on the amount of time you study each day — Refusing to study any more than an hour a day, for example, forces you to work harder in that period to get everything done than if you decide to study whenever you feel like it. Limiting study periods lessens the amount of time spent studying and makes the student a more efficient learner.
• Work with a group of like-minded students — A study group can split up the subject under review into manageable portions and assign one to each student. As long as the other students are good at the subject, you can share your preparation and benefit from theirs, lessening the amount of time you have to devote to your studies than if you tackled the whole subject yourself.
• Hire a tutor who is well versed in the subject — Professional tutors who are experts in the subject being studied can provide sound guidance in the best ways to learn the topic, helping you to avoid wasting any time. They can also help you develop clever ways to review material, and these methods can increase your odds of memorizing important information long term.