- Use your phone camera or webcam to record yourself studying. This can create accountability and remind you of your objective. You can also use a tool like Focus mate to pair up with a real-life study partner who can watch you and keep you on track1
- Find a good study environment that is comfortable, quiet, well-lit and free of distractions. Avoid places that are noisy, crowded or have too many temptations, such as your bedroom, the TV or your phone. Experiment with different locations and times of the day to see what works best for you2
- Use the Pomodoro technique to work in short bursts of focused time followed by short breaks. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on a task until the timer rings. Then take a 5-minute break. Repeat this cycle four times and then take a longer break (15 to 30 minutes). This can help you overcome procrastination, increase productivity and reduce mental fatigue1
- Use mnemonics, flashcards, mind maps, active recall and spaced repetition to memorize and review information. These are techniques that can help you remember information by associating it with something else that is easier to remember, testing yourself without looking at the answers or notes, organizing your notes using keywords, images and colors, explaining what you learned to someone else or writing summaries or outlines from memory, and reviewing information at increasing intervals over time rather than cramming it all at once before a test12
- Use feedback, self-explanation and elaboration to test and apply what you learned. These are techniques that can help you assess your understanding, correct your errors and refine your skills by getting information on how well you performed on a task, what mistakes you made and how you can improve, explaining how or why you solved a problem, answered a question or reached a conclusion using your own words and reasoning, and adding details, examples or connections to what you learned using your own words or relating it to what you already know or something else1