We hope those of you who had a break enjoyed it and are back raring to go. Over the next few weeks we’ll be focussing on making your home study as effective as possible. So, we’ll cover:
• preparing and maintaining your mind and body for study
• preparing your home for study
• planning your study time for success
We realise that you may not be able to apply all the tips we give here, but the more you can apply the more benefit you’ll gain.
Preparing and Maintaining Your Mind and Body for Studying
When you want to prepare and maintain your mind and body for study there are a number of things you can do:
• act as if you are going to work – if you have a full day to study, set your alarm, get up, wash, brush your teeth and prepare yourself as normal. Set a time to start studying and be punctual. If you are studying in the evening, after your normal job, think of it as an extension of your working day and keep your professional, working head on
• fuel your body properly – eat a hearty, well-balanced breakfast, preferably with some slow energy release foods, this will ensure you have a steady supply of energy as you study. Take regular breaks to refuel your body. Eat your lunch as normal and take breaks as you would when working at a normal job. If you are only studying in the evenings make sure you snack on healthy foods, such as apples and bananas.
Remember! Working with your brain uses calories. As an example, a person weighing 126lbs, or nine stone, will burn 423 calories studying for a two hour period. You can work out how many calories you’d burn using this calculator http://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi
Don’t have caffeine or sugar-laden drinks and snacks as these will tire your body and brain and ruin your concentration
• stretch – make time to stretch out those tired muscles and relax. You’ll probably be surprised at how stiff you were and didn’t even realise it. Relaxing will increase your productivity and concentration levels
• rest your mind – take regular short breaks away from your study. This gives you time to absorb what you’ve just read and refreshes you for the next study session. A short walk can do wonders for your mental clarity
• don’t deprive yourself of sleep – studying too late into the night will not be beneficial to your study. Your mind won’t take in new information if it is tired and you’ll be affecting your ability to study and work the next day too. The great thing about Business Training courses is that you don’t have deadlines to work to, so there should be no need to burn the midnight oil
Next week I’ll cover making your work space the best it can be so that you always make the most of your study time.
