So you're in college! Congratulations! It's fun and new and you have more friends and distractions than you have ever had in your young life. That's wonderful, but also kinda detrimental if you're interested in graduating…someday. If you have no intentions of ever earning that degree, then please happily continue slacking off. If you do however, want to succeed academically, make your parents proud, possibly even have a real job someday, you might want to consider amping up your study habits. With college being so darn fun, it can be quite a challenge at first trying to get your head in the game, but it must be done. You must succeed! You WILL succeed! Just read these tips…
Get Plenty of Sleep
College, more than any other time in your life, will teach you the importance of sleep. Sleep is a luxury, a precious time for you to rest your weary head. Your body needs plenty of sleep to function properly. Did you know that for every night of sleep you miss, it takes your body 7 days to compensate for it? This is why it's so important that you do everything you can to get a full night of sleep every single night. For college students, a full night of sleep means 7-9 hours of uninterrupted rest. If you can manage to give yourself this amount of rest every night, your brain will be electric, your body will float, and you will feel grand all over. If you don't sleep enough, you'll have trouble concentrating, your memory will decrease, and you might even feel a little depressed after a while. Whatever you do, no matter how much you party (or even study), make sure you give your body and mind proper rest!
Note Taking as a Way of Life
Even if you find yourself unable to comprehend everything in class, you should learn to take notes. Not only should you learn to take notes, note taking should be a way of life for you. Write down everything you see and hear, even if you don't quite understand what's going on. You can always ask questions later. When you take good notes in class, you not only force yourself to concentrate during a class session, but you allow yourself plenty of material to go over once class is over. Any confusion you might have can be addressed with the professor at another time, but it is vital that you write down as much as you possibly can. Note taking also helps you improve your listening skills, since you have to hear everything you write. It's also an easy way to keep your brain stimulated so you don't fall asleep in the middle of class. When it's time to go through your notes, you can jot down any questions that are floating in your mind (again, more notes!). Keeping up with your note s is like keeping up with your academic life. They go hand in hand since it is a record of your experiences. If you can be religious about note taking, you've already won half the battle on studying.
Stay Organized
This should be simple for most college students. Staying organized is a fundamental rule when it comes to good grades. Do yourself a favor and buy a stack of folders. Keep things from different classes in separate folders so you don't mix up your chemistry notes with your Latin homework. That will not help you succeed. If you have a messy backpack or an unorganized folder, you will become frustrated and may be less likely to study when it is necessary. A messy pile of stuff is intimidating, and the last thing you want is to be too frightened to approach your studies. Getting yourself a calendar where you can write down your deadlines and make to-do lists will also improve your organization and encourage you to stay on target.
Nature's Help
When you feel overwhelmed by school, look to mother nature to help you through your arduous tasks. Try doing your homework while sitting under a big, friendly tree, or bask in the sunshine while you catch up on your reading. Studying in nature is something that the ancient philosophers always did, so it very well could work for you. Another thing you can do is to take Ginkgo Biloba supplements, or drink plenty of green tea. These herbs are all natural and help stimulate your brain.
The One Hour Rule
If you're really having a hard time concentrating, one of the best ways to get through hours of work is to only focus for one hour at a time. For example, if you've got about four hours of studying to do, you can commit to one hour of study, followed by an hour of play, followed by an hour of study, and so on, and so on. It has been proven that the average person only has an attention span of about 45 minutes at a time, so it's alright if you find yourself dreading long hours of study. Maybe you're simply not meant to do it. That's why the one hour rule is perfect for improving your study habits. Not only will you get the study time you need, but you'll continuously refresh yourself for better intellectual performance.
Power in Numbers
Finally, it is a great comfort to know that you can always lean on friends to help you get through college. As naturally social beings, we are meant to help each other. Starting a study group for certain classes is a great way to motivate yourself to study. If you have problems with procrastination, scheduling a study group session will help you stick to your commitments since other people will be relying on you to show up. Facing difficult assignments alone can be scary, but working with other students will not only help you comprehend more, but you'll have a better time getting your work done.
Pacing yourself and being creative will allow you to find more ways to get through college and improve your work habits. Whatever you do, remember to be patient with yourself, and to do everything you can to make school work fun and interesting. As long as you balance hard work with play, you will be well on your way to a happy and successful academic career.
February 17, 2011
February 3, 2011
How To Organize Your Dorm Desk
The way you organize your desk could make or break your academic life. It sounds dramatic, but your work area is your academic temple, and could foster either a successful or unsuccessful semester. The way you organize your desk will affect the way you think, how you concentrate, your ability to meet deadlines, whether or not you turn in assignments, and how well you handle your work load in general. Think about it. Your desk is the place where you churn all your intellectual energy. If it's not a clean, comfortable and serene place, fit for hard work and long-term concentration, then you could probably use a desk clean-up. Here are some tips on how you can better manage your work space.
Priorities
Go through all your work supplies and tools. What do you use the most? If it helps, you can make a list of all your items and rank them by importance. Your top 10 items should be placed in a drawer that is closest to you when you sit down. This allows you easier and quicker access to your things and will save you time when you're crunching to meet a deadline. Everything else on your list can be spaced out evenly and kept further away from the center of your desk. It is important to keep away things that you only use occasionally. Having unnecessary items around you can be distracting. When prioritizing your supplies, you should keep in mind that you will always need quick access to paper, pens, and your computer. These things should remain closest to you, or should be kept close to the center of your desk. Other things such as tape, thumb tacks and rulers aren't used quite as often and can be placed in a small side drawer or box away from the center of your desk. Consider cre ating a place or a way to organize important documents. A file cabinet is great for organizing folders and important papers. You can turn one of your drawers into a mini file cabinet and alphabetize your documents. However you choose to do this, your important documents should always be easy to access.
The Importance of Clear Space
The most important place on a desk is the center surface. The surface of your desk is your battleground. If you have a lot of clutter near the center of your desk, you are creating unnecessary distractions. The center surface of your desk is where you do your actual work. This space should be clear so you can think and work freely and clearly. Only keep things in the center that you are actually using for a certain project or assignment. For example, if you are writing an essay, the only things that should be on your desk at the time should be your computer and your information resources. Otherwise, keep your actual work space clear. When the center surface of your desk is always clear, you will feel more neat and organized in your head. It's like having a clean slate. A clean slate means a clear mind, and a clear mind produces better work.
Accessibility
You should never have to spend time searching for something. It's a great idea to label your drawers, containers and folders so that you always know where everything is located. Make sure you alphabetize your books and important documents. Label the drawer where you keep fresh paper, and keep your miscellaneous desk supplies all together. If you have to label every single container and drawer, do it. It will save you so much time when you are stressed out over projects and the last you need is to be shuffling around endlessly trying to find a silly little pen.
Lighting
For some reason, a bright desk is usually a more pleasant place to work. Not only will proper lighting keep your desk more organized, it is necessary for long-term concentration. Invest in a desk lamp. It is not enough to have an overhead light in your dorm room. You need concentrated, direct lighting. This will help you stay focused. When you have good lighting with your desk, your desk will also tend to stay more organized because everything is super visible. A desk light will also come in handy for all-nighters when you can't use an overhead light without waking up your roommate. You can also try to place your desk in front of a window. This will do wonders for your work atmosphere, especially when you work during the day and have the sun's natural light to energize your brain.
Desk Aids
When it comes to desk supplies, it's important to make sure you have enough folders, containers, labels, space dividers, and a calendar. These things all help you organize your desk on a daily basis. The folders will help with properly organizing your documents, containers keep small supplies from cluttering space, space dividers organize the inside of your drawers, and a calendar is useful for many obvious reasons such as keeping track of deadlines. You may also want to consider getting a cork board and hanging it near or in front of your desk. With cork boards, you can place notes and other important reminders right in front of your eyes.
Clean Up After Yourself
The best way to maintain an organized and proper work space is to keep up with your daily cleaning. Whenever you leave your desk or complete a project, you should always make sure to put everything away. Again, try to keep the center surface of your desk clear when it is not in use. Put away your important documents, return pens to their proper containers, and throw away scraps of used paper. If you take small steps to clean up your desk everyday, you will never have to deal with an overhaul, and academic life in general will be much easier.
Priorities
Go through all your work supplies and tools. What do you use the most? If it helps, you can make a list of all your items and rank them by importance. Your top 10 items should be placed in a drawer that is closest to you when you sit down. This allows you easier and quicker access to your things and will save you time when you're crunching to meet a deadline. Everything else on your list can be spaced out evenly and kept further away from the center of your desk. It is important to keep away things that you only use occasionally. Having unnecessary items around you can be distracting. When prioritizing your supplies, you should keep in mind that you will always need quick access to paper, pens, and your computer. These things should remain closest to you, or should be kept close to the center of your desk. Other things such as tape, thumb tacks and rulers aren't used quite as often and can be placed in a small side drawer or box away from the center of your desk. Consider cre ating a place or a way to organize important documents. A file cabinet is great for organizing folders and important papers. You can turn one of your drawers into a mini file cabinet and alphabetize your documents. However you choose to do this, your important documents should always be easy to access.
The Importance of Clear Space
The most important place on a desk is the center surface. The surface of your desk is your battleground. If you have a lot of clutter near the center of your desk, you are creating unnecessary distractions. The center surface of your desk is where you do your actual work. This space should be clear so you can think and work freely and clearly. Only keep things in the center that you are actually using for a certain project or assignment. For example, if you are writing an essay, the only things that should be on your desk at the time should be your computer and your information resources. Otherwise, keep your actual work space clear. When the center surface of your desk is always clear, you will feel more neat and organized in your head. It's like having a clean slate. A clean slate means a clear mind, and a clear mind produces better work.
Accessibility
You should never have to spend time searching for something. It's a great idea to label your drawers, containers and folders so that you always know where everything is located. Make sure you alphabetize your books and important documents. Label the drawer where you keep fresh paper, and keep your miscellaneous desk supplies all together. If you have to label every single container and drawer, do it. It will save you so much time when you are stressed out over projects and the last you need is to be shuffling around endlessly trying to find a silly little pen.
Lighting
For some reason, a bright desk is usually a more pleasant place to work. Not only will proper lighting keep your desk more organized, it is necessary for long-term concentration. Invest in a desk lamp. It is not enough to have an overhead light in your dorm room. You need concentrated, direct lighting. This will help you stay focused. When you have good lighting with your desk, your desk will also tend to stay more organized because everything is super visible. A desk light will also come in handy for all-nighters when you can't use an overhead light without waking up your roommate. You can also try to place your desk in front of a window. This will do wonders for your work atmosphere, especially when you work during the day and have the sun's natural light to energize your brain.
Desk Aids
When it comes to desk supplies, it's important to make sure you have enough folders, containers, labels, space dividers, and a calendar. These things all help you organize your desk on a daily basis. The folders will help with properly organizing your documents, containers keep small supplies from cluttering space, space dividers organize the inside of your drawers, and a calendar is useful for many obvious reasons such as keeping track of deadlines. You may also want to consider getting a cork board and hanging it near or in front of your desk. With cork boards, you can place notes and other important reminders right in front of your eyes.
Clean Up After Yourself
The best way to maintain an organized and proper work space is to keep up with your daily cleaning. Whenever you leave your desk or complete a project, you should always make sure to put everything away. Again, try to keep the center surface of your desk clear when it is not in use. Put away your important documents, return pens to their proper containers, and throw away scraps of used paper. If you take small steps to clean up your desk everyday, you will never have to deal with an overhaul, and academic life in general will be much easier.
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