Sometimes you just have to study for long hours though it’s much better to avoid cramming. But when you are working for so long, you need to do something to maximize your productivity and stay focused. The following practical tips for long study sessions will help you to be energetic and even avoid boredom. Let’s get started.
Chop It
Though you are about to have like a six-hours study session, you have to divide it into smaller parts. For example, you can chop it into two or three sessions and take longer breaks in between them. Surely you don’t have to forget about small breaks each 30-45 minutes. But some extra breaks every two or three hours won’t hurt.
Remember to spend these breaks with maximum benefit for your health and nervous system. What you really need is to have a snack or even exercise for just a bit, get distracted by music, or a TV show that you enjoy. Stay away from social media or gaming – they will easily make you lose the track of time.
Start With Challenging Subjects or Topics First
The more you spend your time studying, the more tired you become and your focus tends to drop significantly. So, when you start your study session, it’s better to complete your hard tasks first and then continue with the ones that require less effort. This way you will maximize your productivity and spend less time studying.
Another benefit of studying the difficult chapters or topics first is that you can feel proud and even some sort of relief when you are done with them, so you will get more motivation for the following tasks. Everybody is happy when they achieve some progress, so it’s better to charge yourself with positive emotions before you continue your work.
Find the Right Place
Sometimes all you need to improve your study stamina is to find the right place for your session. It should be a spot with good lighting, access to fresh air, and which is secluded enough so you can stay there without being disturbed. It’s also better to have separate spaces for your sleep or resting and for your studies – otherwise, you might feel sleepy when you are working while in your bed.
If you don’t have such an opportunity, it might be better to go to a library or some other similar place. Where you can have a comfortable chair and a table to work at and a quiet environment that would boost your study mood. You might also want to grab a snack with you and some headphones – either noise-canceling or for listening to music. Campus libraries if they are organized in the right way are a great place for studying.
Limit Distractions
As it was said earlier, a quiet and secluded place is a must. But what’s even more important is that this place should have as less distractions as possible. For example, if you are studying at home and you have a working TV in the background, you might feel not as productive as you would want to. It happens because your brain processes all information it gets, including the noises that you might not even pay attention to.
So, some students find it helpful to listen to music – some nice ambient playlists for studying or working can be found on YouTube or other music streaming platforms. If you find that music distracts you a lot, you should try studying in complete silence. It means that you need to turn off all devices, including your TV, cellphone, or gaming consoles, and ask your roommates or family to avoid bothering you while you are working.
It’s crucial to turn off your phone or put it on silent. If you need some apps for your studying, you might want to try blockers that will limit the functions of your cellphone such as messengers, social networks, or calls, while still giving you an opportunity to use other features – calculator, pdf reader, etc.
Switch Tasks and Topics
If you have too many similar topics or tasks in a row, you will probably get bored very quickly. Boredom badly affects your motivation and productivity. It can also make you very sleepy, and tired, and cause procrastination. That’s why it’s important to beat boredom while you have a long study session.
Mixing up different types of tasks, assignments, and topics is a great way to avoid boredom. You can simply switch from one subject to another or focus on one topic for not longer than one hour. For example, you can concentrate on one block or chapter then have a snack or a little break and switch to another chapter.
Prepare Everything That Is Needed
Before you begin your study session, make sure you have everything you need to stay comfortable and productive. Such things might be water, snacks, notes, needed supplies, textbooks, internet access, headphones, etc.
Getting enough water is crucial for staying hydrated. Staying hydrated means providing your brain with important elements and energy. You should always make sure that you prepare some snacks and water bottles to have on hand while you are trying to focus on a time- and effort-consuming process.
It’s much better to prepare everything beforehand so you don’t have to get up and search for the needed items. That’s how you can make your study session as smooth and easy as possible.
Wrapping Up
Long study sessions might be exhausting and very unnerving. But sometimes they are necessary and can’t be omitted. Almost every student goes through this experience and it’s crucial to know these tips that we have for you in this blog post. We hope that they will help you make your studying less stressful. And if you need some help with your homework assignments, you can always turn to our team so that you can save time and have everything done for you before your deadline comes. We wish you the best of luck!