Links and Lists

Well, have been working very hard on adding links and some more, hopefully useful, information ... now they're longer than my blog!

The books by the Buzan brothers (Mind Maps etc.) are must-reads for everyone, I think, and particularly useful for both students and parents. More about the superb Mind Map system another time ...

Meanwhile, this is something I wrote a while ago, for something else:

(Cheating? Yes a little, maybe. Though I prefer to think of it as an example of the Art of Project Merging, a useful skill to have as a student parent!)


Ten Tips for Studying


1. Be Your Best Friend!

Quote:

Advise yourself, as you would a friend, to look after yourself: to eat well, sleep well and get plenty of exercise. Food, sleep and exercise are all fuels for studying!

Food : Food is a fuel for body (vitamins and minerals), brain (protein, omegas) and soul (carbs). See Jane Clarke’s Bodyfoods for great recipes: simple, cheap, quick, tasty and prescriptive. Food can also supply an emotional well-being factor, on a number of levels – happy memories, triggered by childhood faves; wonderful, feel-good colour (try Nigella Lawson’s Forever Summer for gorgeous ideas); and the pleasure of cooking with friends (a lá Jamie Oliver).

Sleep: Sleep deprivation leads to lack of co-ordination, slows reactions, and muddles thinking. Good quality is essential, rather than quantity, when it comes to sleep. Too much can in fact be as detrimental as too little. (How much is too much? Don’t set your alarm and see when you wake naturally – resist the temptation to go back to sleep) A bedtime routine or ritual will help.

Exercise: Exercise supports studying in a number of ways – physical well-being is essential to/for emotional and intellectual well-being. Endorphins are released – and pent-up frustrations! Exercise provides a positive break from studying (see Tip 9). Plus, things like walking, running and swimming can be meditative, providing reached-for answers subconsciously. (Tony Buzan)


2. Balance The Scales!

Quote:

A balance in your life will help you remain balanced in your studying. It is more helpful to think of a balance here between work, study and relaxation (rather than work, rest and play.)

Work: Try and see work as more than earning money – it is also an opportunity to learn / have fun / help people / widen your social circle … Maintain a healthy work/life balance by considering the income/ expenditure pay-off. (Could you save a little more and work a little less?) Budget carefully (see Ten Tips for Managing a Budget) to make the most of your money.

Study: Keep studying separate from eating, sleeping and exercise, and also from work, unless you have hours at work with nothing to do. Spread your study out, achieving a balance across the semester, so you avoid binge studying (very bad for your health!)

Relaxation: This includes leisure activities (maintain your outside interests, whether it be sport, art and culture, any -ography or –ology, etc.), socialising (clubbing, partying, dating), and rest (meditation, daydreaming, doing nothing at all except sitting in the sunshine, or taking a siesta – the authors of The Power of Focus suggest 25 minutes, or you could try Oprah Winfrey’s 12 minute power naps.)


3. Plan Your Strategy!

Quote:

A definitive, thoughtful, honest plan (in writing!) provides direction, focus and motivation. ‘I’ll start it tomorrow,’ ‘I’ve got plenty of time,’ or even the more decisive ‘I’ll allow myself a week’ are not plans!

Style: Research shows (Buzan) that short, regular sessions provide optimum learning (recall). Perhaps there is something to be said for working better under pressure … or perhaps that’s just what we need to tell ourselves at 3am the night before an unfinished assignment is due! Assess your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest about the way you produce your best work, and develop a study strategy that suits you.

Plan: Chaos is not a plan! Be organised, plan everything (considering Tips 1 and 2). Remember, time cannot be managed – there are only 24 hours in any one day – but you can manage yourself. Con yourself, setting earlier deadlines (and then ‘forgetting’ that they are not the final deadline!), enlist support in working to ‘mini’ deadlines (arrange regular meetings with other students, tutorials with lecturers, or a coffee with an informed friend), or bribe yourself to reach a target with a special treat.

Say ‘No!’: Don’t take on too much, learn to prioritise – be assertive when it comes to your work and social life, don’t allow them to encroach upon your studying unless absolutely necessary (make sure you have allowed for a good balance of work / study/ relaxation.) Try and stick to submission deadlines – extensions suck! They are like dominos and one extension often leads to another.


4. Take Small Steps!

Quote:

Breaking revision or an assignment into small tasks makes it easier to manage, and less scary! Shorter, regular study sessions are also an excellent idea.

Note Management: Revise lecture notes on a daily basis. It doesn’t take long (10-30 minutes) to condense them onto an index card system, Or try a mind map. Or simply re-read them thoroughly, with a highlighter, noting areas of weakness in your understanding or further areas of necessary research. (Aim to take further action and file notes before your next lecture.)

Revision Sessions: Keep these short – the human brain stops absorbing information after 45 minutes. Tony Buzan recommends 20-50 minutes as the optimum time for studying (recall). Before you begin, have a list of questions or actions to complete within a session. Focus on your short term goals (The Power of Focus) if you have these under control, the long term goals will fall into place.

Assignments: Begin your assignments as soon as you receive enough information to do so, even if it’s just starting some research with further reading, or constructing a list of questions. Mini deadlines are excellent for developing a sense of achievement, for building confidence and for encouraging enthusiasm.


5. Reward Yourself!

Quote:

Rewarding yourself for effort or achievement is easy, it needn’t cost anything, and is a reliable way to make you feel better – about studying and about yourself!

Small Rewards: Whether bribery or encouragement, small rewards reap huge benefits. Try a bar of your favourite chocolate, a magazine you rarely find time to read, Morrison’s summer berry cheesecake, a night out, or a night in – have a bath with candles and aromatherapy oils (very girlie but very effective!) and curl up with an excellent DVD … or have an early night.

Big Rewards: Always celebrate your successes! Each assignment or exam is a big step on the road to the ultimate celebration – your graduation! Try arranging a meal with friends and family, a day trip, a new pair of shoes / CD / pool cue. If financing a big reward is difficult, have a whole day (or weekend) packed with your favourite small rewards.

Use Affirmations: Keep a positive image of yourself – big yourself up! (Try the expansive selection of wonderful, humorous affirmations in The Barefoot Doctor’s Manifesto.) Always give yourself a huge pat on the back for genuine effort as well as achievement.


6. Have a Break – With or Without Chocolate!

Quote:

Give yourself a break – in all senses of the word.

Study Breaks: Have regular breaks (remember the optimum time of study is 45 minutes) – have a cup of tea, some chocolate (KitKats work for me – they make me smile and revel in the fact “I’m having a break!”), have a quick walk around the block or make a phone call. Time your breaks to ensure that’s what they are! Don’t let them become excuses to avoid returning to the books.

Time Off: Half an hour, a morning, afternoon or evening, or if possible, a whole day. Or a weekend. Do it without feeling guilty – have a total break, do nothing that is anything to do with studying. Hole up with a novel, a pile of trashy magazines, attend an art class, go to the theatre, visit a butterfly farm … do something totally different and you will feel refreshed and ready to study again.

Be Gentle with Yourself: Remember, you are only human, we all make mistakes, we all have weaknesses and rotten days. We all misjudge ourselves. Don’t beat yourself up!


7. Take a Busman’s Holiday!

Quote:

Do something else – something productive, which will be useful to you in other ways – but be careful that you don’t simply procrastinate!

House/Garden: Housework and gardening can help in two ways – providing invigorating work (waking up your brain and body), or a chance to get lost in the moment (providing ‘distance’ from a problem, allowing the brain to mull things over subconsciously). If you haven’t got a garden of your own, volunteer to help a friend or perhaps an elderly or disabled neighbour.

Voluntary Work: A sense of fulfilment and a boost to your self-esteem are benefits besides that of simply getting away from it all for a while. There is a huge variety when it comes to volunteering. Everyone can find something they are interested in, and hours can be suited to your existing schedule.

Another Assignment: Working on more than one assignment at any one time can prove very useful, both in the sense that they both provide a break from each other, but also that they might share areas of research or understanding.


8. Switch Sides!

Quote:

Use a different part of your brain. Or use your brain in a different way! (Try Brain Gym exercises before a study session, lecture or exam, to align the left and right sides of your brain.)

Lateral Thinking / Free Association: Exchange words and numbers for pictures – doodling is fun and makes studying more memorable. Mind Maps are an excellent resource.

Use Your Hands: Be creative, use the right side of your brain by cooking, drawing, painting a picture or a wall, taking an engine apart, doing a jigsaw. Be creative in other ways too – write some poetry, try some creative thinking, or any form of design.

Sensual Study: Indulge all five of your senses - use music, aromatherapy, colour, herbal teas, a ‘snuggly’ or some worry beads. Using your senses increases your ability to recall information later. (Buzan)


9. Move!

Quote:

Stop using your brain at all, for a while! Spend some time instead, on supplying it with lots of well-oxygenated blood.

Favourite Sport: The best sports in this situation are those that command your full attention, encourage competitiveness (with others or yourself) and are physically demanding.

Go For a Walk: Or a run, or a swim - make full use of free local resources, including fresh air, stunning scenery and the sea! The benefits of walking are numerous and dramatic.

Dance: Whether clubbing, ballroom, tap … or just dancing around the kitchen! Dancing works on two levels – it’s physically exerting and a foolproof feel-good activity.


10. Seek Support!

Quote:

The greatest strength you can develop is recognising when you need some help!

Family / Friends / Fellow Students: Family and friends can provide practical support or emotional (advice, encouragement, praise, a kick up the bum or a shoulder to cry on!) Keep them informed – they might be wonderful, but they are not mind-readers!

Professional: This includes financial, emotional, medical, legal … whatever kind of support you need, your college or university can provide it.

Academic: Take advantage of all tutorials. Ask lecturers if there is something you don’t understand, or are struggling with. Or approach the library staff for help and advice. Make regular appointments with the people in Study Skills Advice. Find a study buddy!

(I haven't found the right quotes, yet ... any suggestions welcome as always!)


One last thing tonight, as it's getting late and have been neglecting my Write Here! blog (on which i have stated in writing that I intend to add a post every day!), but before i forget, have a look at Mummy Librarian's list of books about pregnancy, babies and toddlers:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A16VOX63250BR4/ref=cm_lm_fullview_header_name