Top 3 Study Tips: Getting Organized

Yes, it's August: the Sunday of months, meaning September is Monday, also known as back to school! You may be upset, sad, nervous, but don't forget to keep gratefulness in that cluster of emotions. Anyway, August is also prep month for school as well as creating "new school year resolutions". (Wow, August is a lot of things...).

 It may surprise you how many people don’t have their “study life” put together. That being said, now you know you’re not the only one; so keep calm and read on. Over the years, I had to make several modifications to my own study system. The key is to plan ahead and keep thinking and preparing for those upcoming tests and exams. Take notes:

1. KEEP BINDERS TIDY

• One of my pet peeves is loose paper. Unfortunately, my laziness usually overcomes that dislike, but not anymore! So, word of advice is to use that really special tool called reinforcements. They really help and make your papers good as new.

• Don’t get too over-excited with those binder pockets. It may be tempting to shove your papers in those pockets especially when you’re running late, but soon enough it makes a habit. Remember: keep thinking about the future tests and exams; you will be confused with all that clutter!

• Paper vs Notebook? I choose paper. The popular choice it seems, is notebook, but I can think of more cons than pros. First off, with a notebook it will be messier as you’ll probably combine your notes with your homework (not a good idea). Second, when there comes a time to insert an additional page between your notes, it’ll be impossible. So, just choose paper; if you use those tips mentioned above, you won’t regret it.

2. COLOUR COAT

• Use highlighters and coloured pens to jot down the little notes and details. They’ll catch your eye when studying and it’ll be harder to forget if they’re in bright colours.

• Use pens for notes! What I usually do is copy down notes in pen and do practice exercises and examples in pencil. It’s less confusing that way, based on my experience.

• Stickies stick! Sticky notes are a great tool and are essentials for school stationary. Use them for bookmarking important pages or stick them on a page that you have a question on so you won’t forget. If you have multiple colours, assign them each to a course so you won’t confuse them together.

3. KEEP RECORD

• Write the date on each page. I used to think that writing the date was completely useless, but it really isn’t. It organizes your papers and it’s good to keep track of what you did and when you did  it.

• Use page numbers. There have been many times (especially in a math course where you need to use tens of pages for one day’s homework) where I have put my notes and homework pages in my binder in the incorrect order. So, number your pages each time you do your homework.

• Best for last: Keep your questions! If you ever come across questions in homework, jot them down and do not throw them out when you have resolved them. Those questions are probably the difficult ones, so when it comes to exams and tests, pay extra attention to those questions and redo them.

I also have a video on this topic on my YouTube channel that you can also watch below:

Hope these helped! If you have any other additional tips, leave a comment below!

Good luck this school year!