DON’T TURN THE PAGE!
I know you’re about to, but I promise this chapter will go down easy. Or as easy as a chapter about studying can!
So where do we begin?
First, we’re going to spend a short time exploring the WHY, or “Why do you put off studying or not do it at all?” We’ll lay out some of the obstacles that get in your way so you can try to identify the sources of your procrastination problems.
Then we’re going to jump into the HOW, meaning “How can you study more efficiently and effectively?” I’ll teach you tips, techniques, strategies and skills, and give you an arsenal of tools to use when it’s time to get down to business.
So here’s the God’s honest truth—I had a really hard time starting this chapter. I wanted to come up with something witty that would catch your attention. Even I know that a chapter about study skills can have that kind of effect on students! So I searched the internet for articles on how to overcome procrastination when studying to get some creative ideas.
And here’s the interesting bit. Every single article offered the same five tips—limit your distractions, find a quiet place, break down your tasks, make a study plan and take effective breaks. All solid tips. I even mention a few in the homework chapter. On a scale of one to ten, I’d give them definite eights.
What was glaringly missing and what should have been the number one tip in all these articles is learn HOW to study. I think that tip was missing because the authors all assume you know how to study. But you know that most of you really don’t. And unless you know HOW to actually sit down (or lie down or stand up or walk around) and study, none of the suggestions listed on the previous page are going to work. And that procrastination plague is going to stick around for a really long time.
Here’s what I’m hearing from you:
While this might be the number one reason for most, you’ve shared plenty of others with me over the years.
When I work with students to demonstrate the difference between a manageable task vs a vague assignment, I use this great exercise. Feel free to play along at home.
Let’s say your math homework for the evening is, “Go to page 52 in your textbook and complete questions 1 through 5.” Most of you would tell me you understand the instructions. You know EXACTLY what is expected of you. And since you do, you find it easy to turn to page 52 and get started. (Remember, this is not about whether you can do the math assigned but whether you understand the instructions.) That’s because these instructions are specific, concrete and task-oriented. You see a beginning and an end.
Let’s change it up. It’s Monday night, you have a history exam on Thursday and your assignment for the evening is to “continue studying.” Have I hit a nerve? Who likes assignments like that? Basically, no one. Because what does “continue studying” mean? How do you know if you’ve succeeded at the assignment? You really can’t. And so, faced with a task you can’t measure, the procrastinating part of you is on full display.
So if I changed the assignment from “continue studying” to “create study guide” or “review notes on the cultural aspects of ancient Mesopotamia,” would you have an easier time getting started? Bingo! It’s much easier to start on something when you can see the steps to the finish line!
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I rarely use the word study when I’m working with my students. Why? Because that little five-letter word sends you all into such a tailspin that procrastination paralysis comes out in full force.
I’ve learned that when I switch out the word study for a word that resonates with you, your mind-set switches too. Let me explain.
Here’s why the word practice truly makes perfect!
Over the years, I’ve replaced words like study or review with words like create, move, or even play, which help to promote action and get you moving.
They just have a much different feel to them. Don’t you think? Tell me, which sentence motivates you more?
“Go study for your exam.” Or “Practice your vocabulary for your psychology midterm.”
Some of you might be saying, “Sure, I procrastinate sometimes, but I know how to study. I’m good!”
Really? Let’s play a little game.
Here’s a list of the most commonly used study strategies, in no particular order. From the list below, pick the study method you use the most often OR the one you think is the most effective for you.
Rewriting notes
Flash cards
Rereading your notes or textbook
Making outlines or study guides
Highlighting textbook
Self-testing
Studying in a group
Doing practice problems or questions from textbook
Which one did you choose?
According to a study done by Jeff Karpicke and his colleagues on the study strategies of students at Washington University in Saint Louis, over 83 percent of those students polled chose . . . wait for it . . . rereading your notes or textbook.
Any guesses as to why? Because it’s an easy way out. Rereading is super passive. It takes no effort, which is why most of you do it. (Please don’t be insulted.) But it’s not very effective.
What’s the most effective study method? It’s actually self-testing! Asking yourself questions to make sure you have a deeper understanding of the material. And according to this study, only about 10 percent of students polled use this method.
So why don’t more of you do it?
Because asking all those questions to truly understand what you are studying requires some serious heavy mental lifting. And that extra effort to go beyond just memorizing facts and figures requires you to push yourself, work a little harder and dig a little deeper to truly understand what you are learning. It hurts a little . . . or in some cases, it hurts a lot. And for most of us, our fallback position is to avoid pain at all costs.
Now does it make sense?
A wise professor once told me, “There is no learning without pain.” And that’s the step that most of you are missing.
It has got to hurt to work.
If you seriously want to kick procrastination to the curb, then you need to learn some serious study strategies. Let’s take a look at some common practices and see how we can tweak them to make them more effective.
Try spacing out your studying. We’re better able to recall information and concepts if we learn them in multiple, spread-out sessions. Think thirty-minute study sessions over a few days instead of a three-hour crash course the night before. Pressuring your brain because you procrastinated rarely works.
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. For optimum studying you need to rinse and repeat. A lot.
If you think that creating a study guide and ONLY a study guide is the right approach (Hello, Quizlet!), then think again. Mix it up. Try different study tools to optimize your learning. It will keep it fresh and fun. And fresh and fun means you’ll procrastinate less.
Picture this. You’re sitting down to read a chapter. For the first time. With a highlighter in hand. Ready to highlight what you think is important to review later on. But answer me this: If you’re reading material for the first time, how exactly do you know what is important (and should be highlighted) and what isn’t (and should be left alone)? Especially when the material you’re reading is difficult or dense. Answer? You DON’T!
Try reading the chapter all the way through to get a feel for the material. THEN go back and highlight what you think is essential to know.
And a tip within a tip? Before you put highlighter to paper, make sure you can first answer the question, “Why is this important for me to know?”
News flash! Rereading doesn’t make information stick. Instead, it becomes a path to developing a false sense of security where you think you truly understand what you’re (re)reading when you don’t. The reason for this is fairly obvious. When you reread something, you tend to do it with an “I know this!” mentality because the material is familiar. Therefore, you stop processing what you’re reading, and you are no longer deepening your understanding of the material.
Instead of rereading, try rewriting. Rewrite your lecture notes. The physical act of writing actually helps you absorb what you’re reading on a much deeper level than reading the same material. To take it up a notch, when you rewrite, do it in a DIFFERENT manner from your original set. Draw a diagram, create an outline, develop a Q and A, anything that changes your notes into a different format. By organizing the material differently, you’ll figure out whether you truly understand it. Or not.
Whether reading your textbook, reviewing your notes, or even reading a novel for class, ask yourself these question starters. They will help you understand the material on a much deeper level.
BONUS! It’s not bad if you can’t always answer these types of questions. If you get one wrong or don’t know an answer, that gives you a pretty clear picture of what you know and what you don’t and, therefore, points you to what you need to work on.
Just plain no! The questions at the end of each chapter are study gold! They basically do the work for you. So grab your notebook, write out each question, leaving space in between, and begin answering each question as you make your way through the chapter. Use the questions as a road map to help you find the important “landmarks” along the way. I find that this technique helps my students overcome their procrastination every time!
And a tip within a tip? Don’t forget about the questions or highlighted text IN each chapter. General rule: If something is bolded, italicized or highlighted, you need to know it.
Stop draining your brain and get active! Write a song to learn your Chinese, draw cartoon pictures to memorize your ancient gods, make up a dance routine to learn the periodic table. Anything to put some energy and fun into the process. More Active = More Engaged.
Oh, come on. I know and you know that when you kind of, sort of, maybe know some of the material, you pretend you really know it all so you don’t have to deal with it. Not knowing things makes us all uncomfortable. And we tend to avoid that at all costs. So here’s what I want you to do instead.
Stop studying in order. Think about it. It doesn’t matter whether you are starting at the beginning of the year when studying for finals or the beginning of the chapter when studying for a big unit test. Studying in order leads to a false sense of security.
Follow me. Let’s say you’re reviewing the periodic table and you are reviewing the elements in the order they are laid out on the chart. You might really understand all the components to the elements oxygen and neon but are unsure of fluorine. Or “I know number one and I know number three but am unsure of two, so I’ll just move on because knowing one and knowing three probably means I really do know two.” See how that works? What to do instead? Mix it all up. Start in the middle. Jump around. Break up the order. Just stop hiding behind door number three.
And a tip within a tip? (I’m full of them today!) If the material you’re reviewing requires you to study in chronological order, then review it backward. Yup! I learned this tip from a professor during my college years. We tend to spend way more time at the beginning of the textbook chapter, the professor’s slide deck or even our own notes. By starting at the end and working our way backward, we guarantee that we’ve given everything equal time.
Here’s an idea. When you start to review for an exam, feel free to put aside the things you know like the back of your hand. I hear from my students that the sheer volume of what they need to study can put them into procrastination paralysis. So by immediately eliminating from your pile what you know, you’ll lighten the load and only have to focus on what is giving you trouble. Just remember to bring everything back out the night before for a quick review.
Time to call in the troops. There’s no better procrastination buster than studying with others. It’s literally one of the most effective study tools out there because it’s loaded with all the good stuff.
Flip back to the homework chapter and tap into the Personal Homework Profile you created. That’s what it’s there for.
We’ll do a much deeper dive into planning strategies in that chapter. But here are two words I want you to remember: Define and Assign.
First, DEFINE what it is you need to study. Get specific. Remember the exercise we did at the beginning of the chapter? Here’s where “learn the seven Mesopotamia gods and their importance to the ancient culture” is better than “study for my Mesopotamia test.”
Next, ASSIGN when you are going to do it. Making appointments with yourself is a great way to motivate and not procrastinate. If you treat your studying with the same level of importance as an after-school activity or office hours with your professor, you are more apt to honor that commitment.
And a tip within a tip? Study BEFORE you do your evening’s homework.
Let me tell you my client Molly’s story.
Nothing will have that train going full speed ahead on your procrastination track more than this self-defeating mantra playing over and over in your head. I get it. I firmly believe that high school is the only time in your life where there is an expectation that you need to be good at everything. And that is demotivating, to say the least. You do have some wiggle room when picking the college you attend or your college course schedule. When my son, Eli, was looking at colleges, he immediately ruled out any that had a math or language requirement.
But whether you are in high school or college, sometimes you will need to take a class that doesn’t come easily to you. And that means you’ll have to put in more effort, work hard, get help and exhaust all your resources. That’s no easy task.
I want you to try changing the narrative in your head. Instead of saying “I don’t get this,” ask yourself, “How can I get this?” Or swap out “I don’t know” with “What do I know?” And my favorite one? Changing “This won’t work” to “What have I done previously that has worked?”