For many people, the typical study session starts in the evening when there’s absolutely nothing left to procrastinate with. That’s totally understandable because we all [...]]]> When do your study sessions start? In the evening after all your socializing is done for the day? The night before a big exam? How does that make you feel?

For many people, the typical study session starts in the evening when there’s absolutely nothing left to procrastinate with. That’s totally understandable because we all know that studying for exams can be a really stressful experience. What happens is that you end up trying to cram everything you were supposed to be learning all year into a couple of nights before your exams. It’s not surprising that you have a hard time concentrating.

Would you be surprised if I told you that the reason for this stress is a result of not starting your study sessions in the proper place?

Instead of beginning in an environment of stress and overwhelm that makes focusing practically impossible, start your study sessions before your class even begins. In the rest of this article I will show you a three step routine you can put into practice to ensure that when it comes down to the night before your exam, you will be able to review your materials in a calm and focused way.

The first step in this process is to actually do the required reading for each class before the class begins. You’ll be able to understand what the professor is talking about more clearly if you’ve at least skimmed the material beforehand. You’ll also find that you retain more of the material presented in lectures and seminars if you already have had some exposure to the topic.

The second step in this process is to go to class. That might seem obvious but when I was teaching it always amazed me how often people would just not show up for classes. While you’re there, pay attention and take notes or record the lectures to listen to later.

The third step is to go over your notes as soon as possible after the class is over. Make corrections and note any areas where you may have missed something, or where you have questions about the material. Make sure you get the missing information and get your questions answered as soon as you can.

If you have recorded the lecture, then transcribing it is another excellent way of reviewing the material. You’ll be surprised at how much information you pick up the second time through. The combination of listening and typing at the same time forces you to concentrate on what you’re hearing.

These may seem like little, common sense tips but I can tell you from experience that if you take the time to use them, you’ll find that when it’s time to sit down and study for a final exam, you will be much less stressed because you will already have a good understanding of the material. And less stress makes it much easier to focus on the material you do need to work on.

In response to that poll, here’s a few ideas to keep your mind [...]]]> There’s a poll on my How to Concentrate lens at Squidoo that asks, “Where or when do you have the most trouble concentrating?” As of this morning, the most popular answer is “when I’m studying.”

In response to that poll, here’s a few ideas to keep your mind focused while you’re preparing for those upcoming exams.

1. Plan your study sessions for the same time every day. Being consistent will help to develop a routine and train both your mind and body to know what to expect.
2. Find a quiet place to do your studying. Go to the library if you have to. It’s much easier to concentrate when there are no distractions. (But if you must have some music while you’re studying, I recommend a little Mozart.)
3. Take lots of breaks, especially if you’re doing a late night marathon cram session the night before your exam. A good rule of thumb is a ten minute break every hour.
4. Reading is great, but if you’re an auditory or kinesthetic learner, you will need more than just words on a page to get you through. Try reading your notes aloud and recording them onto your mp3 player. Hearing the material in your own voice helps to reinforce what you’ve been reading, and once you have the mp3 recorded, you can go for a walk while you’re listening.
5. This goes along with tip #4 and is my personal favorite… Write things down. Take notes with an actual pen and paper. Try writing the material in different ways such as copying exactly what is written, and then rewriting it in your own words.

Developing good habits will go a long way to helping you improve your ability to concentrate while studying for exams. For more study tips, there’s an excellent site at How To Study Bootcamp that you can check out.

I never know what to write for the first post, and “Welcome to my blog” just sounds lame. So I have been procrastinating for hours on this, fooling around with themes and plugins and telling [...]]]> … or perhaps more a more appropriate title for this post would be “I really hate writing the first post!”

I never know what to write for the first post, and “Welcome to my blog” just sounds lame. So I have been procrastinating for hours on this, fooling around with themes and plugins and telling myself the whole time that I’m just concentrating on making this blog the best I can for you.

In reality, I’ve been sitting here wondering what to write, flipping back and forth between the hockey game and my piano. And it strikes me that one of my favourite ways to get back on track when I’m totally unfocused is to sit down and play the piano for awhile… Bach, in particular. There’s something about the way the total precision of a Bach Prelude demands absolute concentration. It’s the perfect tonic for a frazzled mind because it’s so precise. It’s also a great way to empty your mind of everything but the music, in a way that just listening to it never could. And of course, it’s a great tool for procrastinating when you’re in desperate need of an original idea to write about

So there you have it… a somewhat original first post!

Oh, and welcome to my blog.