Find Your Method of Studying

As students at Bronxville, we all have homework, quizzes, and tests to work on or study for. It can be stressful to have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. This article will have a few suggestions to help you find an ideal method of studying that works for you! 

The Pomodoro method can help you work more efficiently, and involves intense studying followed by breaks. In Italian, Pomodoro means “tomato.” Have you ever seen a tomato timer at stores? That is actually where the Pomodoro method comes from. Using this method, you would work for twenty-five minutes without stopping or getting distracted and then take a five minute break. If you become distracted while working that twenty-five minutes, get right back on track once the “focused version of you” notices it. It is really important for the twenty-five minutes to be highly productive so that the five minute break feels a lot better. During the break, you can do whatever you want to reward yourself for working for twenty-five minutes. Getting away from screens is recommended because the screen drains you, so the break might not be as effective as it should be.

Listening to music while studying has been scientifically proven to help you focus and learn new information, as well. Lofi, instrumental, or anything else works well! Try not to listen to dance-pop or music that gets you excited. It is easy to get distracted when you are hyped. To get the most out of a short study session, you have to be in a certain state of mind, and being hyped up is definitely not the right one.

Make studying fun! If you’re trying to study terms, a very effective trick is to memorize them with a song! Songs can be very helpful for quick and easy memorization. Just remembering terms with their definitions can be hard, so it’s much easier when the words are put in a rhythm with music and arranged into lyrics! For example, if you are learning the letters in a language, sing them in English with the alphabet. Memorization using music also works with memorizing the numbers in Pi, the states in the USA, or even the parts of the human body! A song can help you with any topic! You might get lucky and find a song online, or you could make one yourself.