Time Organization & Study Tips

I am a proud contributer to a fantastic magazine for pre teen and teenaged girls called “Girls Can Do Anything” It is all about helping young girls boost self esteem, learn how to be “real” and fights a lot of the pressures put on teen girls. Visit their website at www.gcdamagazine.com I recently wrote this article on studying tips for teens. Thought I would share it here.
I’m sure that you are so excited that exams are coming up…that you know that you’ll study every night, have everything prepared, and then ace the exam. Right? What??? You don’t think so?? Well let’s see how we can change that!  Read on to get easy tips to help you ace that exam!Here are a few tips and ideas for making your study session a success.

Clear your workspace:

Have you heard the expression ” cluttered space, cluttered mind” ? If your work area is full of papers, notes, chip bags, and a pair of dirty socks, you won’t be able to concentrate properly on your task at hand. Take the time to put items back where they belong and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel when the clutter is gone. Try and keep your space clear, and only have the item that you are working on at that moment out.
Have all the supplies you need on hand:

Make sure that you have the pens, pencils, paper etc. that you will need. If you have to keep searching for things, you’ll get distracted and lose focus on your task. Have a glass of water and a healthy snack as well. You need to fuel your body so that you can fuel your mind. Any textbooks, notes, hand outs and information about the test should be ready and waiting, not downstairs in the bottom of your backpack!
Remove any distractions:

Turn off the television, turn off your cel phone, and tell your mom or dad that you are going to be studying and that you don’t want to be interrupted. Make a DO NOT DISTURB sign for your door and tell your little brothers or sisters that when the sign is up, they can’t bother you. They will learn to respect your boundaries, and see that you are working hard to achieve better grades.
Make a plan of action:

Look at your schedule, and see where you can set aside study time. Mark in in your calendar, and stick to it. Look at it as a job commitment that you have to honour. If your friends call and want to go to the mall, or see a movie, look at your schedule and see if you are available. If you can fit it in, and still get your studying done, go and have fun. If you know that it will interfere, tell them you’d love to go, but you have scheduled in study time, and see if they want to go another day. You’ll be proud of yourself for sticking to your plan of action, and your friends will respect your commitment. If you have more than one subject to study for, plan when you will work on each one. If you don’t have a plan, you’ll find yourself going off track and not getting everything done.
Break it down:

Have specific goals for each subject that you are studying, and write them down. If your goal is that you will read 4 chapters of your English book, don’t stop until you do. If you can, do even one chapter more. You’ll be further ahead than you planned, an you’ll feel great knowing that you’re ahead of the game. By breaking down bigger tasks into smaller ones, you won’t be so overwhelmed. You will also have the satisfaction of crossing off the items that get done.
Jot it down:

A great way to keep notes is to use recipe cards. When you are studying, the items you have trouble remembering, or find difficult, write them down on the card. Then when you are doing review, you’ll have the cards to remind you of the things you need to go over again. I found when I was in school, once I wrote something out a few times, I was able to remember it better. Highlight the important points and review them often.
Visualize your success:

If you think that you are going to do poorly on an exam, and you go into the exam with that frame of mind, chances are you won’t do so well. If you can visualize yourself knowing the answers, finishing in time, and then see the teacher handing back your results with a great mark… you’ll be more likely to achieve it. Positive thinking goes along way in life, and the sooner you see yourself doing well, the more likely that it will happen.
If you can organize your time to include studying, work, school and your friends, you will have more balance and harmony in your life and you won’t miss out on anything important.
Wishing you much success!
Jenny McKee
Organizing Solutions