6 Tips to Encourage Good Study Habits at Home

By Kara Masterson

The more of your five senses involved in your studies, the more information you can absorb. The tips below can also help you retain info for a longer period of time. Take one “concept” at a time and go through these tips – in order. Then you’ll be prepared for any test.

Say it out loud

Whether alone or distracted, speaking the fact helps implant the concept in your brain. Saying it out loud brings forward the first of your five senses – hearing. Don’t mumble – speak loudly and proudly!

Watch yourself say it

Yes, you take your laptop to the bathroom, look into the mirror and speak. Explain your class notes, out loud, talking to the mirror. You’re combining two senses – seeing and hearing.

Be dramatic in the mirror

Being overly dramatic is actually fun. Even better, humor helps you remember facts more easily. For each concept you’re trying to learn, explain what it’s based on, or where it leads.

Type your notes again

Another of your five senses is fulfilled with the touch of the keys. Don’t worry about spelling, unless that’s the subject! When writing, your mind is “seeing” what the professor said in class. If you don’t want to type, write “flash cards” and don’t use them later. This really works!

Lather, rinse, repeat

Practice makes perfect, they say. If you’re having trouble learning a particular concept, definitely repeat it. Using all your senses twice confirms what you have already learned in this process and gives you great confidence to succeed.

Keep your eye on the prize

Oh to graduate! If you’re early in your college career, think about the demand for your chosen field. You can earn a degree in just about anything you set your mind to. There are even tons of degrees in radiology. If you do your research and go to the right school you should be able to find the best degree for you and reach your main goal.

College is hard. Tests are hard. Each class demands that you know facts and concepts that may be foreign to you. You can avoid all-nighters if you find a process that seems natural to you and involves the most of your innate five senses.

At crunch time, the focus is to stick the facts within your mind for a short period of time. The focus for the long run sticks the facts within your career and your life.