by Susan Kruger, M.Ed. Author of SOAR Study Skills
1. Do the most important things first. The hours between 3 PM and 6 PM are usually the most wasted hours of the day. Challenge yourself to make them the most productive hours by doing your homework with-in one hour of arriving home. Then, you can have a full evening of free-time for yourself.
2. When you first sit down to do your homework, take 2 minutes to put loose papers into the proper folders. Make this a part of your daily routine so you can save valuable time (instead of searching for lost assignments) and avoid losing points on missing work.
3. Use the next 8 minutes to reread any notes you took in school earlier that day. Reviewing your notes for a few minutes every day saves hours of studying when test-time comes around.
4. As you read your notes, underline or *star* any content that you do not understand. Ask your teacher for clarification about it the next day. Teachers love these questions because they indicate that you care about your school work. A few good questions can earn you a lot of respect from your teachers.
5. When reviewing your notes, read them out loud. Your brain will remember the information in your notes better because it will be processing the information in three ways: through your eyes as you read it, your mouth as you say it, and your ears as you hear your own voice.
6. Create potential test questions out of your notes. Creating questions helps you learn better than simply reciting or memorizing information because the process of creating questions forces you to think about the information at a higher level.
7. Do you find it hard to sit still? Get up and walk around while reviewing your notes! Movement improves the circulation to your brain and also helps active people focus better.
8. Get involved! It can be difficult to stay motivated if academic work is the only thing you take away from school. Get involved in at least one extra-curricular activity (sports, band, clubs, etc...) to help you develop good friendships and a positive attitude about school.
9. Remove distractions from your study area. Turn off your cell phone, put your iPod® away, and do not log on to email until your homework is done. You will get your homework done much faster and then have much more time to enjoy these things once your homework is complete.
10. Fill a bucket or basket with a pair of scissors, set of markers, ruler, calculator, glue, stapler, and several pens and pencils. Take this container with you wherever you do your homework. With all of your supplies handy, you will not have to run around your home to find things you need and risk getting side-tracked by the TV, video games, computer, phone calls, refrigerator, etc.
11. Does homework take too long? Invest in an electronic timer (approximately $7 at most superstores) and set it for the amount of time you think it should take you to do each assignment. Challenge yourself to beat the timer.
12. As you do your homework, constantly ask yourself, "How can this assignment help me study for the next test?" This question will help you stay focused on the purpose of your assignment and encourage you to do your best work, while still working to beat your timer! It will also save a lot of study time when it comes time to prepare for a test.
13. When you come to a question (or group of questions) that you do not understand, skip it! Why waste a lot of time/energy fretting over a few questions/problems? Move on to the items you can do and then come back to the skipped questions later. Quite often, you will be able to figure out these answers after completing the rest of the assignment.
14. Keep a bottle of cool water on hand while you study. Water keeps your body and most importantly, your brain, hydrated.
15. Move often. Your circulation slows down and your brain becomes stagnant after you have been sitting still for 40-45 minutes. You will actually be more efficient if you take a short, 1-2 minute break every 40 minutes. Stand up, do some jumping jacks, listen to ONE song on your radio or iPod®, and return to your homework. Do not let yourself turn on your cell phone or watch TV because you will be less likely to return to your homework quickly.
16. Reward yourself. It can be hard, even for the most motivated students, to stay disciplined. Determine a reward for yourself every night. For example, "I will get my math and social studies homework done and then I will treat myself to some ice cream." Or, "If I can get my homework done by 6:00, then I will have time to shoot some hoops with my friends, call a couple of friends, then watch my favorite TV show at 8:00 PM."
17. Make your homework easier tomorrow night by reading the next section of your text-book for each class tonight (or at least read the pictures, captions, and summary questions). When you read before class, you will anticipate more about what is going on in class, which will make it easier to stay focused and understand the topic more quickly.
18. As soon as you finish a homework assignment, take 12 seconds to put it in the correct folder. Do not let your homework get left behind at home or even lost in the wrong folder. Put it away immediately and you will save many headaches.
19. Communicate with your parents and other family members. Tell them what you plan to do so they can support your plan. The more information you volunteer, the less likely your parents will be to "nag" you with questions.
20. Use a planner. Make your life easier by using a planner in school to record your homework and any other things that you have to do. Using a planner will help you complete assignments (and turn them in) on time, reducing lost points on late assignments.
21. Make the planner easy to use. Mark your place by using a binder clip as a "bookmark." A binder clip works better than a paper clip or bookmark because it stays in place and is easy to grab when you are in a hurry.
22. Check your planner before you go to bed to make sure you took care of everything. Reviewing your planner at night is a great habit to develop because it ensures that you will be well prepared for school the next day. The more prepared you are, the better day you will have.
23. Gather all of your folders, books, notebooks, supplies, etc... and put them in your bag before you go to sleep. Mornings are chaotic and most people are still a bit groggy before they leave for school, so it is very easy to forget important things at home in the morning. Avoid this problem by gathering everything you need the next day before you go to bed.
24. Lay out your clothes (including coat and shoes) for tomorrow. When you start the day feeling prepared, you will be prepared throughout the day.
25. Get sleep. Most students do not get enough sleep. The more rested you are, the more you will be able to enjoy your time in school, pay attention in class, work more efficiently, and ultimately... learn more in less time!
