Clear the mind, busy the hands
Blog 4 - Clear your mind, focus yourself efforts
Many students come to me and say that they work much better with a deadline, and that cramming is the way for them to succeed. This is just not true. Cramming feels like the way which works best because when you try to study without the pressure of a deadline looming you struggle to focus. In education there is two forms of learning, there is what we refer to as deep learning: those things which you understand so well and have practiced over a long period of time, this is daily items such as riding a bike, swimming, tying your shoes etc, the other type of learning is shallow learning, this is where information is crammed in and retained for a short time. This is like when you pass an exam but 1 month later don't remember what you needed to pass.
This is what happens when you cram, you're able to scrape through the exam, but in the fullness of time do not get the benefit from the knowledge gained.
The best way to focus your study is to do it in small batches, create time every day when you study. The optimum study time for concentration is 20 minutes. In order to maximise the information you take you should stick to small study periods. The toughest part of this is often being able to walk away from studying and take a break.
A tip is to find a hobby, and please don't pretend that watching TV or playing video games is a hobby, these are past times. The idea of a hobby is to allow your mind to clear. Not be given sensory stimulation. It is common knowledge that using a phone or tablet before bedtime will massively affect sleep, this is because it stimulates the eyes with bright moving images. A hobby would be something like doing a jigsaw, playing a musical instrument, crafts, cooking, gardening etc. The key is these things busy your hands, not your eyes. This is a form of mindfulness meditation which de-stresses and helps for calming and relaxing the mind. There has been a massive increases in the amount of adult colouring in books which are designed to reduce stress and anxiety.
Take a time out, clear your mind, relax. It takes 20 minutes and the amount you will gain from this break is massive. This is something which I make sure I do everyday if I can, sometimes I can't, but I know that trying helps.
