And my suggestion to all my friends who are in the process of developing their careers is that unless you are one among millions like Einstein or Newton, you need to take examinations, very seriously – this is the only measuring rod and the only way you can get ahead. Master the art of taking an examination. Even though an examination is not always a sure test of one’s ability, but who cares!
I present few steps to successful study
Most of times students lose focus. A friend of mine said that he sometimes daydreams while he’s in the middle of reading something important, and won’t remember what he
read and doesn’t retain the information. Now, I don’t claim to be a master at studying, but I do suggest to follow these guidelines and they certainly enhance your ability to study
and retain information. I hope these steps will guide you to study more effectively!
Golden Rule of 3 R’s (Read, Revise & Recall)
Know your capability & stay calm: Unless you fully understand the subject it is not possible to retain it in your brain. You may be the kind of person who has to go over the material a few times before it sticks in your brain; so be patient. Just know yourself, and if it takes three passes to learn the material, then take three passes. Brain storm yourself with questions, why this, how this etc. and then read, you will retain better. That way you will not hammer instead you will discover what is to be known. The golden principle is Read the study material, revise it and recall. Visualize the concept, make a pneumonic to remember it or associate it with some other idea. Write it after you have read. Try to quiz yourself on the old material by recalling the subject you have read. Teach it to your friends. If you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over at least 20 times, do NOT get frustrated! This will only make it harder to study. It’s important to keep a positive attitude, take a deep breath, and learn it. You can discuss with your friends and utilize a team based learning approach. Team based learning is considered to be the best approach especially when it becomes difficult to remember. When you stay calm and read something for entertainment because you enjoy it, you remember it much better. Enjoy what you study. If it’s not something you enjoy, focus on staying calm. Don’t pressure yourself.
Self-control/discipline: Catch yourself when you see you’re straying away from studying, and correct this behavior. The difficult part is recognizing when you are daydreaming or losing focus and getting yourself back in check. I tend to lose focus a lot, but I constantly work on regaining my concentration. There is no fun to continue studying if you are not able to understand it or if you are not able to maintain focus. Do not thrust knowledge on your mind instead make it enjoying experience.
Take short break in between studies: It is difficult to maintain concentration when you find subject is difficult to understand, take a short break. Tell yourself that you’ll do a certain amount of work, and then take a break. If you are unable to practice self-control, you need to find something outside of yourself to keep you under control. Set the timer for about an hour, get a good solid hour of studying in, and after the timer is up, take a break.
Planning: Make a schedule of what you’re going to study and when, and do your best to stick with it. This will help you practice self-control, because you’ve scheduled the time in for yourself. You no longer have to make time to study, all you have to do is follow your calendar. Be sure you make a schedule and don’t waste time in reframing it always. Dynamic fluidity or in other words, go with the flow! Sometimes you don’t get all the studying done that you’ve planned out to accomplish in a day. All I can say is, be patient and Stay calm. Those are the two most important rules to follow. If your day doesn’t go the way you planned, it’s okay. There are too many variables that can alter your schedule. Just augment your schedule, and make a new plan of action. Of course, if what is preventing you from studying is in your control, do something to change it. And make sure the changes will lead you to a positive outcome. Remember to set realistic goals for yourself, otherwise you may become easily frustrated.
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A Sound Mind is in a Sound Body: Mind and body are hugely related. When it comes to studying you need to pay attention to how closely connected your mind and body are. Don’t dismiss it as being trite and insignificant… this is seriously a big key to success that can amplify your study time! Take a balanced Diet: Along with staying active physically and mentally, make sure you’re eating a balanced diet of proteins, carbs and fats. But there are some essential fats that you should incorporate into your diet, like omega 3’s. My favorite way to get the fats I need are from fish. Have adequate Sleep neither less nor more. Surprisingly many people don’t realize this. How do you expect to focus when you’re tired? I saw this a lot when I was an undergraduate; people staying up the night before the test. But when it came time to take the test, they couldn’t focus, and would invariably do poorly. As for me, I made sure to sleep well before each test except on one occasion when due to anxiety I could not sleep at all but next day the test went well. Just to inform you that at times you may face similar situation, don’t be under stress. When tired take a nap instead of studying and you will wake up completely rejuvenated to tackle several more hours of studying. And those several hours are usually the most productive. If you’re sacrificing sleep, then you should have already maximized your daily studying.
Activity: It is especially important to maintain focus. Do things that challenge you physically or mentally. Go to the gym. Go running. Play a sport. It doesn’t have to be every day, but an hour every other day won’t hurt you. You’ll feel better. Along with exercising physically, make sure to maintain your mental exercises. Studying is important, but do another brain activity, something completely unrelated. Breathing exercises are good like yoga etc.
Meditate: That’s a mental exercise within itself. Other activities, like cooking or playing an instrument are good, too. This goes along with taking a break; make sure to combine therapeutic activities with breaks. Prayers are the best form of meditation. It will increase your focus and concentration.
Enjoy life: Look at the world around you and take in all the beauty. Remember to smile. Make it a point to go out and enjoy yourself, and don’t think about what you have to get done later. Worrying about something else while you’re trying to have fun is NOT fun. Enjoy the moment! There will be time later to focus on what you need to accomplish. Technique of examination: Learn the art of taking an examination. Browse how to answer multiple choice questions. At times one loses the focus and commits, mistakes during examination, be careful. Practice before you appear in examination.
Keep a timer and solve a set of multiple choice questions. Adjust your pace accordingly. On the day of examination take your routine diet at home and reach examination hall early. After the examination close that subject and don’t have hang over, of previous subject instead prepare your next subject. Hangover of previous subject will affect your performance in the forthcoming subject. Once all examination is over just chill and relax till results are declared and then analyze where things went wrong and rectify your mistakes. As the saying goes if at first you don’t succeed try again, remember perseverance, is the key to success.
“Be like the sun for grace and mercy.
Be like the night to cover others’ faults.
Be like running water for generosity.
Be like death for rage and anger.
Be like the Earth for modesty.
Appear as you are. Be as you appear.”
– Moulana Rumi
Author is a MD. DM (Gastroenterology) FACP, FACG Consultant Gastroenterologist & Associate Professor at Yenepoya University, Mangalore. He can be reached at ibrahimmasoodi@yahoo.co.in
Link to purchase book https://sites.google.com/view/bumpy-roads/home
