1. Walk through the process mentally before you begin. This is like looking at a map before you try to drive somewhere you’ve never been before. Familiarize yourself with your study materials by thumbing through the materials. Notice the structure and format of the materials and decide how you will break your study into small manageable units.
2. Eliminate distractions. Close the door, turn off talk radio or the T.V. and if you need to drown out outside noises turn on soothing and/or inspiring instrumental music.
3. Be comfortable. Make sure you’re not too cold or too hot. Put on those comfy slippers and get that cup of steamy coffee. If it’s summertime, turn on the ceiling fan and get yourself a big glass of ice tea; what the hell, put a lemon slice and a mint sprig in it too!
4. Take frequent breaks. This allows you to absorb information and prepare for new information. This is not unlike resting between sets in weight lifting.
5. Avoid last minute cramming. Break your study materials into smaller, manageable units that you study each day at the same time for an hour or so at a time. This allows for far better absorption of the material than one marathon session could ever provide once a week.
6. Avoid excess detail in note taking. Notes that are too detailed are confusing to study. For the most part, stick to noting specific terms and key concepts.
7. Review notes. Review the day’s notes just before going to bed. It’s amazing how effective this is in reinforcing what you’ve learned. In addition, review your notes from the prior day before beginning your next study session.
8. Self-test. Utilize chapter headings, learning objectives, end of chapter questions, glossaries and the like as a way of self-testing your knowledge of the materials you’ve studied.
9. Play teacher. When you review study materials pretend you are a teacher explaining the material to your students. This technique really helps to crystallize the materials.
10. Enjoy the process. When learning new material it is important to remember that the goal isn’t just to pass a test on the subject; the goal is to own newfound knowledge you can utilize the rest of your life. The more you value each step along the way, the more you will learn and the more knowledge you will retain.
