Tmerno
Do you know how to develop the habit of studying? To achieve our life goals, studying is one of the most important factors. It doesn’t matter if our desire is to pass the entrance exam and take the course of our dreams, learn a certain profession or travel the world: knowledge is power, and you will need to study to achieve what you want.
However, not everyone is fond of studying, and most simply find it challenging to create time for doing it. Therefore, it is best to include studying into your daily activities so that it feels organic and not forced.
So, how does one develop a study habit? That’s what we’re going to teach you today in this article. Go ahead, read, and make studying a much simpler and easier practice!
Understand how a habit works
To know how to develop the habit of studying, it is essential that you first understand how a habit works.
A habit is an action, an attitude that we take so often that it becomes almost automatic, natural — like, for example, brushing our teeth or taking a shower.
Therefore, doing physical activity is already a habit for some people and, for others, studying and reading is also a habit.
Here is some important information: the quality of our habits directly influences the quality of our life!
- Trigger: the stimulus that makes you take action. For example: if going to the movies makes you want to eat popcorn, the movies are a trigger to eat popcorn;
- Routine: the act itself, the activity. This activity can be physical, intellectual or emotional;
- Reward: what you get after the action. It could be a good feeling after doing a physical activity, for example. The reward will make you continue doing that activity, increasing its frequency.
How to develop the habit of studying
Now that we understand what a habit is, how it forms, let’s now apply this to our studies?
You might feel a little discomfort until your mind and body get used to the idea. That’s ok, it’ll just be for a very short time!
Check out the 3 steps on how to develop the habit of studying.
1. Trigger
Following Duhigg’s model, you need a trigger to create the habit of studying. This could be, for example, a suitable environment, such as your organized room, with study materials, adequate lighting and silence.
It is important that you set a time for studying, including it in your routine.
It is best not to study in your bed, as it is a place associated with sleep and rest. Associate a place with studying. That way, every time you are at your desk or at a library table, for example, you will know that this is the place to study.
2. Reward
A sense of accomplishment can serve as the incentive to continue the behavior more frequently. That satisfying sensation you get at the end of the day after completing all of your goals. Did you ever experience that? It’s fantastic!
In the case of studies, it could also be getting good grades on a test or taking mock exams and realizing that you are performing better.
You can also allow yourself to do something fun or that you love to do, like watching an episode of your favorite series, only after you complete your study goals!
3. Repetition
The more we repeat the same sequence of having a trigger, performing the task and receiving a reward, the more automatic the habit will become. The trigger and the reward become so closely linked that we create anticipation and desire.
An important tip is to start slowly and increase the frequency and time of study as you can. Respect your own pace!
With all these elements, you now know how to develop the habit of studying!
Making studies easier
Now that you understand the fundamentals of creating a study habit, we’ve put together some advice to help you along the way. Look it over!
1. Stay focused on goals
Don’t set study goals that are too big or don’t fit into your routine. Set goals that are achievable within the time you have available and also within your concentration and energy.
Little by little you will get used to it and you will be able to focus for longer! We have to exercise our attention so that it increases.
The secret is to create small goals at first, such as:
- study for 10 minutes every day, then increase by another 10 and so on;
- select topics of the subject to be studied and set each one as a mini goal;
Congratulate yourself every time you reach a small goal. This gives you an emotional reward and makes you feel good about achieving a goal.
Also, remember to start with easy goals to avoid the feeling of frustration that keeps you from reaching your reward, and gradually increase the difficulty, always valuing each achievement.
2. Have a goal
To do something consistently and achieve success, we need to be motivated to do so. And motivation comes from within.
When we are clear about why we are studying, we have more energy and desire to develop this habit!
Waking up early to study just because you were told to do so can be very boring. But waking up early to study because it will bring you closer to your dream of enrolling in a certain course is much more motivating, right?
Reflect on your life goals and see how important studying is to them. Write down your plans and remember them whenever possible!
3. Find the best study method for you
There are numerous study methods, such as: Pomodoro technique, mind map, summaries, notes, and mnemonics, among others.
But what are they for? Well, their main function is to aid the learning process, as well as optimize study time. In this way, the methods will facilitate the memorization and understanding of subjects from different areas of knowledge.
However, there is no perfect study method, as each student may identify more with one or the other. Therefore, if you are just starting your studies and are looking for a method to apply on this journey, the tip is: research all types of study methods and choose the ones that most caught your attention. After that, apply one of the chosen methods for a week. The following week, apply the next one, and so on.
Once all the methods have been applied to your study, it is time to analyze which one favored the most concentration, focus and time optimization. And that’s it!
4. Be curious
Studying can be boring and tedious when it is a meaningless obligation. As we said before, without a reason it really is difficult, isn’t it?
But even if you don’t have many plans and the future seems distant and vague, studying will always be a positive thing!
Having knowledge is something that gives you an advantage. After all, when we understand things, we have more power of choice, we know how to talk better with people about different subjects, we understand how nature, the world, human beings work…
Therefore, having a curious view of things makes the habit of studying much more interesting.
Humans are the only living beings with the ability to reason, to reflect on complex issues and to modify nature so much. You have a brain capable of storing a lot of information and using it to your advantage and to the advantage of humanity.
When we think about it like this, it almost seems like a waste not to take advantage of what is available for us to learn!
So, now that you know how to develop the habit of studying, remember to gradually introduce this practice into your routine and notice how enjoyable and easier it will be.
If you initially miss a few days or targets, don’t give up. Since progress isn’t always linear, errors happen. The direction we travel in is what matters. You should be commended for your desire to improve yourself if you’re reading this essay!
