Keep a Time Dairy
Finding out how you spend your time will help you identify where you can fit study into your day. It’ll also help you identify the best time of day as well as how long you should study for. The best way to achieve this is to keep a time diary. The information this exercise gives you is invaluable in helping you make the most of your valuable study time.
Make Sure Others know you are Working
One of the biggest problems home-study students encounter is that others don’t understand that even though they may be at home, they are still working. It is vital that you tell everyone that you are not to be interrupted, unless it is an emergency, whilst you are studying. This is where a separate room proves invaluable as you’ll be able to shut yourself away during your study time.
Plan Your day the Night Before
To make sure you get the most from your study time it is best to plan it the night before. This will enable you to get started straight away, rather than spending time thinking about what you are going to do while you should be studying. And, when you sit down to study make sure that you get your plan out and start on it right away.
Time Yourself
If you find it hard to maintain concentration while you work why not try setting a timer so you work in 30 minute blocks. After 30 minutes have a five minute break and then start another 30 minute block of study. Another way to use this method is to give yourself a certain amount of time to study one subject, then as soon as the time is up, move on to the next item on your plan.
Split Your Study Time Into Sections
If you prefer not to time yourself, you can always choose the number of sections you’d like to complete in that study session. For example, you could decide to work on your Business English with Spoken English course until you’ve completed three sections. Then, once that study is complete you move onto your spoken English practice.
Eat Away From Your Study Space
Make sure you eat your snacks and have drinks away from your working space. It’s best not to eat and work at the same time as you’ll do neither effectively. Take a break and concentrate on eating then come back to your work refreshed.
Make Sure you Stop When You’ve Planned to Stop
If you planned to stop working at 10pm make sure you do. Don’t be tempted to go over your allotted time. Think about why you decided to stop at 10pm, you must have had a good reason. And, once you’ve finished studying try not to think about it any further. Clear your mind of study and do something else.
Over the past three weeks we’ve given you the basis for creating a great studying environment for yourself. Of course, we don’t expect you to be able to put into practice everything we’ve talked about. Indeed, maybe only one of the tips resonates with you and, if that is the case, just use that one. However, it really goes without saying that the more of these tips you can apply, the more productive your study time will be, leading to successful completion of your course in super-quick time.
