I don’t know about you, but my time management skills used to be horrendous. I barely used my planner, I forgot to turn in an assignment here and there, and I was constantly late to meetings because I didn’t plan. But realizing I’m only in college for four years forced me to learn quickly. I’ve learned how to prioritize, schedule, and study more efficiently. And I’m proud to say I have learned quite a few life-changing study tips along the way.

I’ve recently posted a new article that goes in-depth on the mindset needed to be more productive while studying if you want to check that out before getting into these 15 study tips:

Related article: The Mindset You Need To Have A Productive Study Session

This post is separated into two sections to help you not only study better but plan to study better. I am a firm believer that you must plan, plan, plan, and execute accordingly to be successful at anything in life. The tips I provide below are to strengthen this planning and execution process.

These college study tips are meant to minimize the amount of stress you have, and allow you to study diligently to perform exceptionally well in your courses. I can almost guarantee your grades will improve significantly after you implement some of these tips. This post is all about college study tips.

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Best College Study Tips:

PREP

These tips are required before you actually study.

 

1 Import Every Assignment.

At the beginning of every semester, I take a couple of hours out of one day and I import all of my assignments into my favorite app, myHomework.

This app is great because it can remind you when your work is due. It’s also set up like a to-do list. Once you finish an assignment, you can swipe on the assignment, and poof it’s gone!

If you don’t use this app, make sure you have a place where you can track all the assignments you have and WHEN they are due so you can plan accordingly.

Related article: How To Keep All Your Assignments Organized

2 Plan Your Study Time.

Let’s be real. If you don’t plan it, it ain’t happening. I have been consistently time-blocking for a while now. It’s one of the best ways to stay on task because I intentionally set out time to do certain things.

Up until recently, I used Google Sheets (an alternative to Excel) to plan out my time. But I have since changed to using Google Calendar instead. This switch is due to the easy customization I can take advantage of in Google Calendar. I can easily move an event to another time or to another day.

 

3 Rank System.

You should know by the first or second week of the semester which classes are more challenging than others. So when you are about to start assignments, think of what will take you a long time to finish and what can be accomplished quickly. Prioritizing certain classes gives you a clue as to how much time you need to block out for each class.

I’ve taken quite a few science courses and I know they will always take me longer than any other subject I take. So I tend to plan more time for those classes and assignments because I know the more time I study them and practice the concepts, the better my grade will be.

 

STUDY

When you start studying, implement these tips to improve your workflow.

 

1 No Distractions.

This is a no-brainer. The more time you waste on other things, the more work you end up having to do later. So make a pact with yourself every single time you study, that you will stay focused. And if you get distracted, you will simply refocus your thoughts and get back to work. Common distractions include your phone, your friends, and even your family members.

I will literally start studying and randomly think about something that I *think* I need to do. Then I will work it out in my head for about 10-15 minutes and I may even check my phone. It’s an awful habit… Thankfully there are ways to minimize this struggle. The mind wanders, and it always will. What is important is how you refocus yourself.

When this happens to me I jot down the thought and tend to it later. Or, I will just acknowledge the thought and get back to work.

I’m a lot better at this now but it is crazy to think of all the scenarios and tasks you can come up with when you need to be doing your work.

 

2 Find a Quiet and Comfortable Place to Study.

This is such an important tip. My productivity levels tank when I am around loud people or noises.

At home, I have to find a quiet place to study and let everyone know I am studying. If I don’t, someone will yell my name for something they want or I’ll get into some random conversation with one of my siblings which can literally take an hour! Even the library can be quite noisy sometimes. So finding a comfortable nook where you can study in silence is important for optimal productivity while studying.

 

3 Use a Study Technique.

Check out this post where I talk about my favorite studying method! Having a consistent method to use makes achieving your academic goals much easier.

 

4 Use the Forest App.

People can wait. Texts can wait. Social media (most importantly) can wait.

So turn your phone off, turn your phone on “do not disturb” or use apps such as Forest ($1.99/Free on Android) or Flora (Free) while you study. I have used Forest for years and I swear by this app! Read my full review of Forest here.

If you have Forest, turn “deep focus mode” on. This restricts you from leaving the app while the timer is going. While the timer is on, you are building a virtual tree. If you leave the app, the tree dies.

The more trees you build, the prettier your forest gets and you can use these points to buy new tree species to grow. The best part of it all is that you can contribute to building REAL trees around the world.

(live footage of me visiting the tree I helped build knowing I'm saving the planet)

 

5 Create a Study Guide.

Create your own study guide for the course. There are some classes that are primarily memorization, so for those, a study guide isn’t quite necessary. But, building a study guide as you learn the material with main points and concepts from each unit will make studying for your exams so much easier.

A great way to do this can be after each study session. Noting key points after every session will definitely help you retain the information and ace that course! Even if you study for an hour and only get through one concept. Jotting down the main points is extremely beneficial when you are studying for midterms and that final.

6 Flash Cards.

This can be an alternative to studying guides or something you do in addition to studying guides. Having the key terms accessible in the form of flashcards is so helpful for studying. Like I said in the previous tip, some classes are pure memorization in which flashcards are the perfect option. So use this form of studying when needed and know that it doesn’t have to just be terms you put on the flashcards. You can also use them to test yourself on key concepts from the course.

Note: Use Quizlet to always have access to your flashcards online. 

 

7 Explain to a 5-Year-Old.

Ok, this sounds funny but it’s an amazing way to study concepts. This technique is from the physicist, Robert Feynman. He developed a technique of deconstructing and reconstructing ideas to understand things he learned.

First: Identity what you want to learn.

Second: Try explaining it as if you were explaining it to a five-year-old.

This is a lot harder than it seems but it’s one of the main ways I improved my GPA. You have to really know your sh*t if you plan on explaining it to a kid. You have to break it down into simple terms that a child could understand. This is a great way to test your knowledge and see if you understand the foundation of the material. Feynman also used analogies to further illustrate the concept at hand.

Robert Feynman would either verbally explain or wrote it down to explain.

For me, I will literally call someone who doesn’t understand my subject, like my mom. She studied something completely different than I did in college so she has no clue about what I am learning.

If I can explain a concept I am learning to someone who doesn’t study it, and they are able to understand… then professor, I am ready for my exam!!

All jokes aside, try doing this after you’ve taken notes. See how much information you can recall. And if you can’t recall the concepts enough for someone to understand at all, go back and study them some more. Find new resources to help you understand it more.

 

8 Take Breaks.

From the wise words of Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford from Parks and Recreation, treat yo’ self!

Don’t overwhelm yourself with information. You need to study consistently so you don’t have to cram everything a couple of days before the exam. Take your time understanding the material but also allow yourself to take a break. The last thing you want is to burn out from studying too much and not caring for yourself.

 

9 Ambient Noises or Soft Lofi.

Oooo, my favorite tip (besides the take a break section). I love a study sess with no music, no voices, and no loud noises in the background.

But I can admit that there are some things I enjoy in the background while I study. When I am at the coffee shop and there’s minimal chatter by people around me, or hearing the coffee machines in the background doing their things.

I also enjoy finding YouTube videos that have nature sounds, classical music, or lo-fi. Check out my favorite lo-fi playlists here!

 

10 Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your professors and classmates for help.

I firmly believe in forming and maintaining relationships with your professors. To be quite honest, most of them love this! Professors are getting paid to teach you (and do research if you’re at a research institution), so don’t be afraid to ask them questions through email or in-person during office hours.

I also find my classmates to be extremely helpful at times. In many of my classes, we have managed to get a group chat going. This is extremely helpful for questions about the material, forming study groups, and having people to fill you in if you miss a lecture.

 

11 Use Outside Resources.

There are so many free resources out there to help you study! Previous exams, YouTube tutorials, Chegg, Khan Academy, teaching assistants in your class, textbooks, and more. We are the first generation to have access to literally everything at our fingertips. Take advantage of that!

Note: I wanted to mention that many people use Chegg for the answers to quizzes (which I am not recommending). But, if you are using these tips and you are doing notes every week so you don’t have to cram, Chegg can be a great resource to learn how to answer certain problems in class. Chegg has the problem answers for a lot of textbooks.

 

12 Stay Positive ☻.

You are not alone. There are millions of students trying to make good grades just like you. You need to stick to your own personalized schedule and stay consistent with it. Implementing study tips like these will improve your GPA significantly.

If I can do this, you certainly can too! Just remember to plan and stay focused. Think about what you are working towards. And don’t get down on yourself if you make a mistake. Forming good study habits take time so take it one day at a time!

These study tips are essential in my study routine, and I hope you’ve found a couple of new ones to add to yours. Let me know of any other tips that you have when you study!

Check out more college-related posts here!