In high school I honestly didn’t study that much. It may not have felt like it at the time, but when I look back on my high school experience, I probably only spent about 2 hours a day studying (if that), and honestly rarely did any extra studying on weekends, with the only time spent on schoolwork being the homework I had to get done for the next day.  

BUT!! Then I came to university… and quickly learned that that in fact was not a good routine to be in, and furthermore if I wanted to succeed even slightly in university, I was going to have to learn how to study properly. My first year was a pretty successful year all things considered; however, I still didn’t really find my routine, or really figure out how to maximize my time. Then, COVID hit. Now don’t get me wrong, COVID has given me some of the worst moments of my life, however, in my opinion there are aspects of it that have been a blessing in disguise. I have had to learn how to manage my time incredibly effectively, and furthermore, have had to learn how to prioritize, how not to get burnt out (ok I might still be working on this one), and how to balance school, a social life, sleep (yes believe it or not sleep is actually important!!), and self-care.  

When classes first started again in September, I was so completely underprepared for what was about to hit me. I wasn’t expecting the workload, the stress of keeping up with all of my lectures and assignments, and the isolation that would come along with online classes. Now in terms of isolation I’m not talking about the self-isolation I completed when I first got to campus (that’s a whole ‘nother blog post in itself), but I mean the isolation I experienced when I realized that my entire day from the time, I got up to the time I went to sleep was spent studying. It took me so long to figure out how to balance my time, but I finally figured it out, and so now I’m going to share it with all of you!  

When you look up how to study on google, one of the first things that comes up is the Pomodoro method. This is a method where you spend 25 minutes studying followed by a 5-minute break, and every hour you take a longer 15-minute break. This method is a really really good one for people who like to focus for short periods of time followed by a break, but it didn’t really work for me. When I start working, I get in the zone, and I enjoy studying or reading or note taking or doing whatever I’m doing (I know… I’m kinda nerdy that way). So what worked best for me, was to download this app called Flora. This post isn’t sponsored but I wish it was because Flora is absolutely amazing. Basically, you set a timer for any period of time (usually I’ll do 45-60 minutes), and once that timer starts you can’t use your phone. Now you could if you wanted to, but this is where the fun of Flora comes in. Basically, when you work you grow little plants, and so if you quit out of the app, your plants die.  

This probably sounds so superficial, but I swear it’s actually the most motivating and exciting thing and is honestly one of the highlights of my day. You can add friends on it and have competitions, seeing whose gardens look the best, and you also get notifications when a friend kills a plant and vice versa so it’s even more motivation to study and leave your phone alone!  

My biggest piece of advice when it comes to studying is to leave your phone somewhere where you can’t reach it and turn it on do not disturb. I’m the kind of person who needs to know when I’m getting notifications, so I’ll leave my apple watch on so I can check my notifications, but I won’t actually check what someone has sent me until it’s time for my break.  

This next piece of advice might also be kind of controversial, but I’m the biggest advocate for listening to music while studying. Depending on what I’m doing I’ll change up my music type (e.g., classical or acoustic for reading, pop or upbeat for notetaking, slow sad music for grading etc.) but I find that helps me to concentrate SO much more. It allows me to block out all of my surroundings and focus solely on what I’m doing in the moment. Especially if it’s loud in my residence, this is the perfect way to block out all distractions.  

I’m also the worst for this but studying somewhere other than your bed is so important. This way, your brain can form a routine and so when you’re in bed you’re relaxing, and when you’re at your desk you are studying. I usually study in a lounge with friends because I find I focus way better when I’m around people, or a friend will come to my room and I’ll study with them but surrounding myself with people helps me to stay out of bed when I’m studying and also to stay focused (but sometimes we’ll get to talking and then two hours later I realize I’ve gotten nothing done… that’s a different story though).  

Essentially there’s no perfect way to study, it’s all about finding the combination of things that work for you. Music, no music, people, no people, it’s all about what will keep you focused and concentrated on what you’re studying in the moment. Leaving your phone alone will be the best way to succeed though… and then when you’re done studying picking up your phone for a well-deserved tik tok break is so much fun!