The temptation when you're studying is always to leave it until later.
Sounds simplistic, but that's what it boils down to. You will always have
this fantasy lurking at the back of your mind, of sitting down some day or
weekend or evening and getting really stuck in and covering a whole topic
in one go. Sometimes it does happen that way. But more often than not,
that day will never come.
No, the secret lies in the five minute slots.
And these slots don't necessarily have to be done in a typical study
environment. You can do it waiting for a bus, before a class starts, in
the shower, or right now as you read this article. Whenever and wherever
you can, try to develop the habit of revising what you've learned in your
head, in small time slots that would probably be just wasted anyway.
Try it now. Think of something you have recently studied. Quickly run
through in your mind some of what you can remember. Can you recite
definitions you've learned, or formulae? Can you list the main points from
an essay or chapter in your book? A good approach is to imagine yourself
talking to a friend who has asked you what you learned today. Visualise
the conversation. Explain what you learned. A quick brainstorm on what you
already know about a topic can be particularly effective just before you
start to study that topic - done in less than five minutes.
Have you tried it yet? Let me guess, you are going to try it later.
Maybe when you finish this article, or next time you find yourself with
five minutes to spare, or next time you sit to study. Can you see what's
happening? There's a habit of inertia there that needs to be broken. You
really don't feel like doing it, even if you think it might be a good
idea. And that's another benefit of the five minute approach. If you can
do it for five minutes, you can practice getting started when you don't
feel like it. ‘Do it now!' can become your mindset. Then you'll find
facing longer stretches won't be so bad. You will be attacking one of the
biggest enemies you have when it comes to study - procrastination.
If you have tried it, then well done. You're already well on the way to
developing the right mental approach to study. But what did you notice
when you tried it. And what benefits have you just given yourself?
If you found you couldn't remember certain parts, that's ok. At least
now you are aware of the gaps, and next time you study, your mind will be
primed to absorb these bits of information. You will have a desire to know
them that you wouldn't have if you were just passively reading. And you
will probably remember it the next time you try a five minute revision
precisely because it will stand out in your mind.
But most importantly, by pulling out the knowledge you have in your
brain, you are revising it, and revising it in a very potent way.
Sometimes, we consider reading over notes or a text revising, but in
reality the most effective way is to try and recall our knowledge without
help. And when you do, you reinforce those neural pathways and increase
the chances that the knowledge will become part of your long term memory.
The alternative could be to wait until your next formal study
session, and find that you have to relearn chunks of it because you left
it too long!
So don't wait. Use those five minute slots. Practice it again and again
- it will be well worth the effort.
