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The Light Factor:
Does your study area receive adequate light? Incorrect
placement of the light source, excessive and insufficient
light can cause eye strain.
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The Ventilation Factor:
Does your study area receive adequate ventilation?
Lack of circulating air can make you sleepy. In a room
where there is inadequate circulation, the concentration
of carbon dioxide increases. As a result, the brain
does not receive a sufficient supply of oxygen and one
tends to feel sleepy. Inadequate oxygen also causes
poor concentration.
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The Temperature Factor:
Is your study area too warm or too cool? Extreme temperatures
can make you feel drowsy or distracted.
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The Ergonomic Factor:
Does your study area offer space and comfort? You need
a clear desk for writing and a comfortable chair for
reading. Don't get too comfortable. When studying, sit
in an upright position. Do not slouch over your books
when reading or writing.
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The Accessibility Factor:
Is there a lot of clutter on your study table? Keep
your workspace neat. In addition, keep relevant stationary,
such as paper and pen, at hand so that you don't have
to get up every five minutes to look for something.
Ensure that you have sufficient space when writing.
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The Noise Factor:
Are there too many distractions? Loud music, the blaring
TV and people talking loudly can distract you. Control
the noise level around your study area. Do friends distract
you easily? Learn to say 'no' to your friends. However,
if you cannot say 'no' easily, you can try hiding from
them. Remember, hiding is not a permanent solution and
is not recommended as a normal practice. Don't answer
phone calls while studying, most calls can wait.
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How to Study
and Concentrate
| 1. |
When there are distractions,
force yourself to focus more intently, use earplugs
if you need to. Make a conscious effort not to look
around. Start reading aloud or writing down important
points. Soon you'll develop a habit, which enables you
to ignore distractions.
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| 2. |
Set realistic study goals
before you begin each period of study. For example,
you could decide to complete 'Thermodynamics' and twenty
problems in ‘Calculus’. Goal setting is a formal process
of setting personal targets in a number of areas. The
process of goal setting on a routine basis helps you
decide what you want to achieve with your time and then
set the precise personal targets that will lead you
to achieving this.
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| 3. |
Make a schedule and refer
to it to clear your mind of distractions. The schedule
will enable you to evaluate how much you have accomplished
in the given time frame against the target you had set
for yourself. This will force you to concentrate in
order to meet your goals.
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| 4. |
Design adequate rewards
after specified goals are attained. There are several
activities that you could use as rewards. You could
take a break from studying for half an hour, take a
nap, go for a walk, go out with your friends, play with
your dog, read the newspaper, drink fruit juice or eat
ice cream. Avoid watching television, playing computer
games or going to the cinema hall, as these will adversely
affect your retention capacity.
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| 5. |
Break up the content of
study by mixing up subjects. Bringing in variety removes
boredom. For example, you could allocate one hour to
study a chapter from physics, chemistry and mathematics
each. Don't attempt to study 24 hours a day; your efficiency
and retention capacity will rapidly decrease. Make the
most of rest periods - do something different. A good
guideline is to work for 50 minutes, rest for 10 minutes
and then work again on a new topic or switch from theory
to solving problems.
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| 6. |
Start with short durations
of study period and slowly increase the duration of
study. Go on increasing the duration as long as you
are able to maintain concentration. Quality of work
done matters as much as the amount of time spent with
books. Stop studying when fatigue or lack of attention
occurs. Take a 1/2 hour break and then return to your
books.
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| 7. |
Don't try to mix work and
play. Keep your study time focused. Realise that you
won't lose friends, respect, or a 'good time' just because
you're studying; these can wait.
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Cultivate Healthy Habits
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Establish a regular routine
of eating, sleeping and exercise. The ability to concentrate
depends on adequate sleep, nutritious food and the overall
increase in mental alertness and physical health that
comes with regular exercise. Drink lots of fluid, avoid
excessive amounts of coffee as it may lead to disorganisation
of thought processes and may ruin your sleep. Students
taking well balanced diets, sleeping adequately and
exercising regularly tend to get higher grades.
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Become Emotionally Involved
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Create interest in the
study material and take up the task at hand with a sense
of purpose. Human beings are bored by what is not relevant
to them. Therefore, you may need to create relevance,
talk to others about the subject, study it with a friend
or relate the material to what interests you. It helps
to sit down to work with a clearly defined purpose and
task.
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Recite, Rephrase and Explain
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Study in a group and drill
each other on the material. Try a little role-playing
and be the teacher. Rephrase and explain the material
in your own words to a classmate. Allow your classmate
to evaluate your presentation. Then let the other person
take the role of teacher while you evaluate. If you
can't explain something, you don't really know it, so
you need to go back to your study material and review
it again.
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Use Mechanical Memory
Aids
Use flash cards, diagrams, abbreviations,
and mnemonics to hold ideas in place and help you review.
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Flash Cards: Flash
cards are study cards that you prepare to help you review
main points, definitions and formulae for different
subjects. You can make them out of stiff paper or cardboard.
While writing information on flash cards, read the information
out loud to make a strong impression on the brain. As
all your senses are involved in the learning process,
you will find it easier to recall the material at a
later date.
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Diagrams: Draw
diagrams and pictures to help you memorise. After all,
a picture is worth a thousand words.
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Mnemonics - Memory
Keys: Find the key words in each point; note the first
letter and arrange the letters. This can organise material
that is difficult to master. For example, the nine planets
- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, Pluto - can be easily recalled if one remembers
the phrase My Very Educated Mother
Just Showed Us Nine Planets.
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Ultimately, you have to make
a conscious decision about what goals you want to accomplish.
You can increase your concentration and study more effectively
by following the tips suggested above.
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