The Secret to Successful Studying: STOP!

Have you ever reached the point in studying that you felt like the words on the page might as well have been a different language, or that the paper you are writing is one big paragraph of jibberish? Sometimes, the best thing to do in this situation isn’t to push through and pull an all-nighter, but to close the laptop, leave the library, and do something you actually enjoy.

It isn’t a myth.

Scientists actually suggest breaks when working because our minds were not meant to focus on only one task for long periods of time. A New York Times article that covered this topic quoted Dr. James Levine as saying that “the design of the human being is to be a mobile entity”, and so therefore we need to break up the monotony of work in order to actually be productive. Dr. Levine even goes one step further and endorses naps.

If that isn’t good news for college students, I don’t know what is.

Many scientists agree with Dr. Levine’s opinion on study breaks, but a recent Stanford University study said that it is actually a matter of willpower. A group of researchers there said that during finals week, students who believed they only had a limited source of willpower were 24 percent more likely to eat junk food than students who believed they could control their drive to study.

Whether you side with Stanford and the willpower argument or Levine and his approval of naps, here are six ideas to help you break up the monotony of midterms week, studying, or a long day at work:

1. Exercise– Put on some shorts and go for a run around campus. Even biking or working out indoors is a good distraction and gets the blood actively flowing to your brain.

2. Socialize– Spending time with friends can actually be a good thing. Your friends might not be too helpful when you’re actually trying to get work done, but they can be a great distraction and outlet of conversation when you’re tired of thinking about physics.

3. Netflix– Missing the chance to watch TV shows back at home? Use 30 minutes to catch up on the latest episode of The Office or whatever tickles your funny bone.

4. Naps– Instead of constantly fighting the urge to close your eyes, just set an alarm and curl up in bed for 20 minutes. You will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to finish studying strong!

5. Make, bake, or play– Like knitting or baking? Work on a scarf for your best friend’s birthday or make some cookies for your roommate. If you play a musical instrument, learn a new song or practice an old favorite. Using your brain for other activities could even inspire new ideas for that paper!

6.Get Out– Longingly looking out the window just won’t do it- if you haven’t seen the light of day in eight hours, that’s a sure sign that you need to get out of the study room or office. No matter the weather, leaving the confines of your four walls and getting a breath of fresh air can help stimulate your mind and even energize you.

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.