09 GENIUS Study Hacks To Save You Time (& Score Top Grades In Exams)
1. Get clever with your clock
Struggling to drag yourself out of bed in the morning?
(Let’s face it, many of us do!) Place your alarm clock across the room so you physically have to get up in order to turn it off. And strategically position your kettle (full of water) and all the things you need to make a mug of coffee beside that alarm.
So when you flip the alarm off, you flip the kettle on, and move one step closer to being awake and de-zombiefied!
2. Prepare before you sleep
In fact, that trick works for anything you want to achieve first thing in the morning!
All you need to do is: leave what you need laid out ready the night before.
Want to start the day with a run? Leave out your running clothes to slip right into. You’ll be out the door before you can change your mind!
Want to meditate with an app like Headspace?* Leave your phone and headphones on a chair ready to go. And make sure you’ve got a spot cleared to sit down in.
Want to study? Leave your books open at the right page. You’ll be amazed at how your success rate shoots up!
3. Eat a frog for breakfast
Start the day by eating the frog: pick your most difficult task and cross it off before doing anything else.
This will give you a nice feeling of achievement, and the momentum to carry you through the rest of the day.
Check out this epic podcast episode with productivity legend Brian Tracy to learn more about this idea!
4. Small task? Done!
If a task takes less than 5 minutes, do it now, rather than making a plan to do it later.
If eating a frog isn’t your thing, why not start the day by smashing through some quick 5-minute tasks! Your study motivation mojo will thank you.
5. Make procrastination your ally
Speaking of small tasks, a great study hack is to try keeping a procrastination list.
When you’re procrastinating on your core task, at least use the time productively by working on tasks that are low-energy, more fun, and often quicker – and that nevertheless need to be done sometime or other.
As an added bonus, all the ticks on your completed list are sure to inspire you to get back to work on that core task!
6. Purge the distractions
Another handy list-making study hack involves making a distractions list.
If your brain’s buzzing with thoughts while you’re studying, you won’t be efficient.
So write them down, get them out of your head, and keep your mind clear for the task at hand. And you never know, you might end up ticking some of those distractions off your procrastination list later too!
7. Distraction proof your tech Talking of keeping distractions at bay, there are all kinds of apps and browser extensions that will block distracting sites if you need to.
So write them down, get them out of your head, and keep your mind clear for the task at hand. And you never know, you might end up ticking some of those distractions off your procrastination list later too!
When you’re procrastinating on your core task, at least use the time productively by working on tasks that are low-energy, more fun, and often quicker – and that nevertheless need to be done sometime or other.
Or you can use a little trick I came up with to help some of my distraction-prone coaching clients:
Change all your passwords for Facebook, YouTube and Netflix (and all your other sources of distraction) to a password you can’t remember.
Leave the passwords on a sheet somewhere else, perhaps in a different part of the house, so you have to walk past a set of judgemental eyes from family or flatmates any time you need to retrieve the password list.
Log out and get to studying!
8. Bundle up!
One of my favourite, neat motivational tricks is temptation bundling.
Combine a task you really DON’T want to do with one you really do want to do!
Hate going to the gym but addicted to that new true crime podcast? Then now the only time you’re allowed to indulge your guilty podcast pleasure is while you’re working out.
Love the new milkshakes they do at your local coffee shop and you know you need to start writing up your research project? Then you’re allowed a milkshake IF you bring your research notes along and start organising them while you’re enjoying your shake.
Make a deal with yourself and reap the rewards.
9. Virtual study buddies
Some people find that the presence of others studying is a really powerful motivator.
But it’s not always possible or practical to get to a library or study room, and that’s particularly been the case in the last year or two what with the pandemic and all.
So try this hack to keep yourself motivated to study:
Head over to YouTube and searching for a “study with me” video. It’s like having someone there to study with, on tap. Just don’t fall into a rabbit hole of recommended videos while you’re there!
Alternatively, why not see if your friends fancy a virtual study session?