StudyPass - Session 4

This email is important.

It covers something so simple and yet so critical to your success this year that I encourage you to give yourself some time to let this one sink in.

We will apply what we cover here directly to your study ... it will help make your study sessions highly focused and highly effective.

So get comfortable, turn off your phone, and let's look at ...

 

How clarity leads to results ...

One of the main reasons students find studying a chore and boring is that they rarely experience the feelings of achievement that come from effective study. They don't connect with the personal satisfaction of achieving a short term goal. They can be left thinking ... did I really achieve anything here?

But think about it ... how can you have a sense of achievement if you never defined specifically what it is you intended to achieve!

If you lack a clear objective then your actions will be muddled and you will meander aimlessly because you lack direction. At the end of the study session you are unlikely to feel satisfied by your results.

Simply by writing a clear objective for what you want to achieve in an activity you will take more focused and more appropriate actions. These actions will help you to quickly reach your objective.

Before you start any study session you must define a clear objective of what you intend to achieve. Without this you are leaving your success to chance. You might be lucky and get a good result but it is much less likely.

So let's do it now. Remember these words don't have any power until and unless you take action from them.

I am going to take you through the specific steps of bringing clear intention to your study sessions.

You can apply this process to each and every session of study this year. By doing so, you will create an increasing sense of accomplishment to your study sessions. You will start to get some traction ... and then some momentum. From there, anything's possible.

 

Creating Clear Objectives For Your Study Sessions ...

1.    Schedule a specific 45 minute session of time to study. NOW would be the best time, but if you can't do it now then schedule some time for later today or tomorrow at the latest.

2.    Select a subject to study and a specific chunk of a topic to focus on. If you have a study guide that breaks down your course into smaller revision chunks then use this to identify an achievable chunk of work that can be completed in this session.

3.    Now write a clearly defined objective that gives you a target for the study session. Make sure it is S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and has a Timeline). Refer to the last email if you need help with this. Write your objective in the now, as if it is already achieved, and make sure you include some attitude! For example.

      - It's 2.45pm and I have successfully completed Questions 1 to 5 (Achieved and Merit level Questions) in the Algebra Achievement Standard.
- As a result I have identified the specific questions and the parts of the answer that I had trouble with, highlighted them so I can review them in the future, and made notes to myself to remind me of what I learned. Great work. Time to play!

4.    Make a commitment to yourself and another of what you intend to do. By making your commitment public (eg by sharing it with a supportive family member or friend) then you increase the level of your commitment ... It puts some fire under your seat and increases the heat on you to make it happen. 

5.    Before you start your study session, remove all distractions from your environment. Make sure you are in a place free of TV and radio and other people. Turn your phone off and out it in another room. Ask people not to interrupt you for the next 45 minutes. Get everything you need in front of you ... your study guides, class notes, paper, pen, highlighter, calculator... everything.

6.    Drink a full glass of water (or a low sugar, non-caffeinated drink) and take another glass into your study area. Take a few deep and full breaths. Remember good levels of water and oxygen are essential for your brain to work at its optimum. Most people breath too shallow and don't drink enough water ... the result is lethargy!

7.    Now reread your written objective. Imagine it complete and connect with the feelings of achievement in the now. Have this statement in front of you so whenever you go off course (and you will) you can recommit to your objective.

8.    Now work like you have never worked before. Work at pace. Use all the resources you have to solve your problems but don't let any problem stop your progress. Highlight the problem, turn that problem into a question to be answered and then move on.

9.    Throughout the session, notice your physical state. If you start to get low energy, bored, frustrated then change your state by changing your physiology ...  Do that by improving your posture, drinking some water and breathing deeply.

10. Regularly remind yourself of your objective.

 

If you give yourself fully to the process above then I promise you that you will have a different experience of study.

Start to notice in your day how a clear objective or intention makes you more effective in producing a result.

Play with this strategy of creating clear objectives both in your study and in anything else you find yourself doing. You will be surprised just how much this one strategy can make to your study and your life.

Until our next communication ...

All the best

Geoff Peterson
StudyPass

 

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Growing Minds, PO Box 633, Christchurch, Canterbury 8140, NEW ZEALAND