Project - Study Skills Review

Step 1: Set Goals

Split your goals to make a plan Set LONG, MEDIUM and SHORT term goals for study and life

• Example 1
  • LONG: I want to run a marathon!
  • MEDIUM: Run 5km without stopping by the end of Semester.
  • SHORT: Run 1km tomorrow. Eat only healthy bento this week.
• Example 2
  • LONG: I want to do a Masters degree in a good US university
  • MEDIUM: TOEFL iBT 100 by 4th year. Save money.
  • SHORT: Buy a TOEFL book. Get a part time job.

Discuss! Ask your partner

• What is your long term goal?
  • e.g. What is your dream?
  • e.g. Who do you want to be like? (your role model)
  • e.g. What do you want to AVOID becoming?
• What is your medium term plan
  • e.g. for this semester
  • e.g. by 4th year
• What are your short term actions
  • tomorrow
  • this week

Step 2: Manage Time

• Time management is the main reason students fail courses
• If you keep forgetting your homework (or doing it at 4am), something is wrong

Discuss!

• What is your time management system?
  • A diary you check regularly.
  • Reminder apps with notifications
  • Post-its on your bedroom wall
  • Whiteboard on your bedroom wall
  • Calendar apps with reminders
  • Email (email yourself everything e.g. “buy bread”) and try to empty your inbox
• Is it working? (Or are you doing homework, stressed, at 4am)

Stay Motivated

• Above, you learned to make a plan and manage time.
  • However, when your diary/plan tells you to do something, you often don’t want to.
  • Here are some tricks
• Trick 1: Set a Timer
  • Set a timer for 10/20/30 minutes
  • Study for at least that long
  • Take a break when the timer goes off
• Trick 2: Starting is hardest. So just do easy step 1 and stop.
  • Trick your brain into starting by pretending you’re not doing anything difficult.
  • e.g. Make a plan to open your essay and ONLY write the title.
  • Promise yourself you can stop after the title
  • But you might find it’s easy to keep going
  • e.g. Pack a bag and go to the Library (or Gym)
  • Promise yourself you ONLY need to go, you don’t need to stay
  • But after you get there, it’s easy to continue
• Trick 3: Don’t Break the Chain.
  • 1) Get a Calendar
    • A big paper calendar that goes in front of your desk
    • An App for tracking several things.
  • 2) Cross off every day you study
  • 3) Do not break your streak! Link in Japanese: (link)
• Trick 4: Compete
  • Compete with yourself
  • Track your important scores (QW word count, time to run 5km, study time)
  • There are apps for exercise: steps walked (FitBit), cycling distance (Strava)
  • Keep a chart. There are lots of apps for this, but paper is sometimes easier.
  • Every week, try to beat yourself (less TV, faster 5km, more words)
  • Also compete with others!
  • Every week, try to beat your friends
• Trick 5: Form a Study Group
  • If someone is waiting for you, you have to go study.
  • If you don’t understand, someone else does
  • Combine it with tracking (Trick 4)
  • Compete with your friends! Who can study the most?
  • Compete with other groups! Which group can study the most?
  • If you can’t meet in person, try an app e.g. Memrise
• Trick 6: Reduce Distractions
  • Put your phone in Airplane mode (no notifications)
  • Go to the library.
  • Give your game machine controllers to someone until after the exam
  • Use a browser plugin (NoScript) to break distracting websites
  • Don’t go too far with this - you need to relax occasionally.
  • Just make it more difficult to get distracted
• Trick 7: Speak to someone
  • Speak to your seniors
  • Speak to a more motivated friend
  • Visit me during office hours
• Trick 8: Stay healthy!
  • Sometimes you feel unmotivated because of your physical condition
  • Get some exercise
  • Cook a healthy meal
  • Go to bed early
  • Stand up and move around
  • Have a coffee (if you’re sleepy)
  • Stop drinking coffee (if you’re getting stressed)
• Tricks collected from other classes
  • Take a bath
  • Listen to some heavy music
  • Reward yourself with sweets
  • Have a nap.