Study Tips For When Everything Around You Is Just Falling Apart 

By Bilaal Marikar.

Amidst the cold glances, an intent to kill reflected in their eyes, the hands hovering above the holsters and the cowboy hats and stirrups, every Western classic has always had the iconic tumbleweed that just drifts with the wind. And during the past couple of years, I believe many of us relate most to that particular aspect; the tumbleweed. Just drifting, being carried by the wind, while all hell breaks loose in the background. Feeling empty, desolate, frustrated, and helpless. 

As a student, navigating academics amidst a pandemic and subsequent economic crisis has not been easy, to say the least. The tactic of waiting it out hasn’t worked, we just seem to jump right from the frying pan into the fire. So, what do we do?

The internet might have everything, including fancy little TikToks about study routines which look very aesthetically pleasing, but it can be overwhelming to sift through literally thousands of blogs, so we’ve done the work for you. Here are some tips we came up with after speaking to multiple students from different fields:

• Readjust expectations

We are living in chaotic times, and it might be very difficult to entirely disconnect from everything going on, because there’s always a reminder wherever you look. During these times, I feel that it is important to readjust expectations you might have of yourself, and not be too harsh if you can’t focus as well as you could before. You might have to let go of perfection and it’s okay to just do the bare minimum sometimes. Listen to your body, and if you’re fueling it with coffee and energy drinks while it’s clearly screeching at you to stop, you might actually benefit from taking a break and refreshing yourself. 

It’s not going to be an easy stretch and you must remind yourself that whatever you’re doing is for you, and to reflect upon all the new information you learnt and the progress you’ve been making. It’s going to be hard but it’s also going to be so much more satisfying when you do get through.

• Plan 

Create a realistic list of the things you plan on getting and prioritize this list; when allocating the time, if you assume a certain task takes 30 minutes, leave aside about 45-50 minutes for it. This will ensure that your schedule will not add any more pressure if halfway through the task you realize you might have to spend more time on it.

Compiling this priority list every night before you go to sleep can help you in knowing exactly what needs to be done the day after and assist in creating a schedule. In prioritizing what to study, you can note down the focus areas based on past papers and revision and prioritize those, splitting the days up until exams to study them thoroughly.

Also remember to check your power-cut schedules on the Ceylon Electricity Board website so you can factor them into your plans and work around it. 

• Environment 

De-clutter your environment, dispose of everything you will not need, and make sure that you have everything you need before you start: from chargers to highlighters and pens, from the relevant notes and books to snacks you might need. Looking for plugs or ordering food while studying will only take time and deter you from having chunks of time where you’re doing nothing but studying. 

• Practice

If you’re preparing for an exam, it’s vital that you do at least one paper in exam conditions i.e., with no noise, timing, etc. and make model answers for frequently tested areas and practice them.

If it’s an essay-oriented paper, flashcards for definitions or certain sections, even obvious ones, will be helpful, because the last thing you want happening in the middle of an exam is being unable to put your thoughts into words. 

If it’s a subject like math/physics, practice papers. Even if you assume that you only need an easy equation to apply, do it. This will help in avoiding careless mistakes. 

Use a marking scheme and correct yourself and know roughly how much you score. After you do it, no matter what you get, it’s not a representation of what you deserve, you’re just sitting for this paper to see how you can apply all this knowledge that you’ve acquired.

• Don’t watch the news too much

It’s important to take care of your mental health and when you’re continuously feeding yourself news of everything falling apart, it can exhaust you before you even start studying; it can make you feel helpless, frustrated and unmotivated. Stop switching through the same three social media apps and mindlessly scrolling through them. 

Instead, take a recommended dose, that you will be able to cope with, and stay off of the news as much as possible. At the end of the day, it’s not going to help you much to fixate on external factors or things you cannot control which might disable you from working on yourself and things you can control. 

Speak to your friends and family about how you’re feeling instead of bottling your emotions to the point where they overwhelm you. 

• Keep your body healthy 

It’s pertinent to stay healthy physically to ensure peak mental capacity. Don’t starve yourself or over-eat, strike that perfect balance, remember to drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep. This might be one of the most challenging habits to develop: start waking up early. This will give you a head start to the day and give you some time to yourself, to revel in the silence and solitude. Nevertheless, even if you wake up at 5am or 10am, have a quick, powerful morning routine that helps you to set the tone for the day. 

Neglecting your body and its needs will only result in your mental state deteriorating, and with all the prevailing external pressure and stress, this is the last thing we would need. 

Make sure you also start a habit of exercising regularly, be it a simple walk down your lane, a home workout or hitting the gym. Regular physical exercise helps in strengthening your memory, helps you concentrate better, improves your mood and energy levels. 

• Stick to a study method

Try sticking to a study method that suits you best. Personally, the Pomodoro method has helped me in building a habit of studying. This is a method in which you study for 25 minutes, and take a 5 minute break in between. After four 25 minute study sessions, you take a break for an hour, and then repeat once again. The “Focus To-Do” app can help with your timing and also allows you to compete with friends. This competition can fuel your motivation until you create a discipline that allows you to study. Having a good study group can help you motivate yourselves 

Romanticizing studying also helps: imagining yourself on a quest or on an anime training arc, treating your subjects as Pokémon that you have to level up, or incorporating whatever creative method in making it more alluring. 

• Don’t skip live lectures

This might be a no-brainer, but in a time where listening to recorded lectures at x1.5 speed a day before the exam is becoming increasingly popular, this must be said. Attending the live lectures as much as possible will give you the opportunity to interact with the lecturer and clear any and all doubts you might have about the lesson, and will also give you more time to digest the information you’ve just learnt, rather than attempting to cram it all in one go. 

• Clear your head 

Regular brain dumps, where you put your thoughts onto paper will help you in gaining a sense of clarity. A few minutes of writing or journaling can help you put your thoughts in order, from where you can create a plan for yourself. Have at least an hour a day, where you simply do what you love, what brings you joy. 

• Stay consistent

It’s important to keep in mind that your brain, just like any other muscle in the body, when worked out continuously, becomes more adept at enduring longer study times or understanding complex texts. 

Try to do at least a little bit everyday because cramming will not benefit you in the long run. Munch off little bits of your workload every day; cramming at the last minute will only lead to burnout and will not help in retaining the information for long. Whenever you feel like giving up, try to go for 15 minutes more before you do. Starting this process of studying is one of the main hurdles, and once you do start, half the battle is already won.