Ever since you started your journey through different educational stages, you were taught to study. Your teachers and parents requested that from you. Study your lectures and write your homework! It takes quite some time for students to break out of the vicious cycle of pointless memorizing. You don’t need all that information in your head. When you need it, you won’t be able to retrieve it if you don’t relate it with all the knowledge that you already have.
It’s time to try a different approach: learning instead of studying. Through a routine that’s suitable to your rhythm and interests, you’ll thrive in any educational setting. You’ll remember new information more easily, and you’ll use it as a part of your contextual knowledge.
How to Develop a Well-Rounded Learning Routine
- Get Mentally Prepared for the Day
Do you know what happens when you lack organization? You fall into the pattern of procrastination. You think there’s more than enough time to handle all that studying and writing. By the end of the day, you end up thinking: “I guess I’ll need help with my essay.” It is so easy to find some help with your college tasks. But, if you want to develop a learning routine, you need a plan. It doesn’t have to be too rigid; you won’t fill every minute of your day with responsibilities. But you should try to fit different tasks into your daily schedule.
You’ll get mentally prepared to handle all tasks if you write them down the evening before. Start your days early. You can work out or meditate while your mind is still not distracted. You’ll take a shower, get a nutritious breakfast, and start with the day’s lessons. You’ll fit the homework assignments somewhere along the way, and you’ll have some free time for leisure in the evening.
- Choose a Matter of Interest
Sometimes you have to learn things that the coursework imposes. Don’t worry; this knowledge won’t be useless. Essentially, you’re learning about the world that surrounds you. Every bit of information is a piece of the puzzle. You’re becoming more knowledgeable, more intelligent, and more skillful by learning and writing assignments.
But as you progress towards college and higher levels of education, you should focus on your true matter of interest. Think: what job would you choose if you had all the options in the world? What do you need to do in order to get to that level? Nothing is impossible when you approach the process of learning with a genuine interest.
- Choose More Interesting Resources
You don’t like textbooks? It’s not your fault. No matter how hard their authors try to make them interesting, the materials get boring and outdated. You’re lucky that you live in the Internet era. You can develop a learning routine around online resources, which will be tailored to your unique interests.
Choose a platform that shares great online courses from your preferred niche. These are some of the best options: edX, Coursera, Lynda, YouTube, Khan Academy, and Open Culture. You’ll find several free online courses on any topic. You’ll still have to cover the material in your textbooks; it’s an essential aspect of your formal education. But if you upgrade your knowledge through free online resources, you’ll be learning instead of studying.
- Celebrate with Some Free Time
A learning routine is not well-rounded unless it contains some free time, every single day. If you divide your time between classes, extracurriculars, work, and learning alone, you’ll soon get into the state of a burnout. At that point, it will be impossible for you to cope with assignments and responsibilities. You’ll be overwhelmed by brain fog.
To prevent a burnout from happening, you should plan some free time in your schedule. You need it, so you can regenerate and appreciate your lifestyle as a student.
It Takes an Effort to Develop Learning Habits
What prevents you from having a great learning routine? For most students, the bad habit of procrastination is the culprit. The only way to overcome it is by creating new, good habits. Start by planning your day. That can become a useful habit! You won’t stick to the schedule every day, but you’ll make an effort. One day after another, and you’ll notice that you’re becoming more effective in meeting your goals.
Don’t forget: you need some free time, too! You need to regenerate before facing the next day of responsibilities.
BIO: Robert Everett is a life-time learner and explorer. His main areas of interest are education and procrastination. Through the tips he shares, Robert tries to inspire students to fall in love with learning. They already had that interest in their childhood; they just need to recover it.
