5 College Secrets to Making Studying Less Painful

Let’s be real here. Studying isn’t always the most fun (unless you’re Sheldon Cooper, maybe), and you’ll be doing a lot of it in college.

But if you don’t eat, breathe, and dream of stuff like particle accelerators, then you probably find studying a little dull.

Here’s the thing:

You don’t need to be a genius to start enjoying, or at least easily get through, the tons of study material that come with college. If you’re wondering how — wonder no more!

In this post, we’re sharing five study secrets college students can use to make studying a lot less painful.

These tricks don’t just take away the discomfort of studying; they make the activity more effective.

1. Get Comfortable

You see, studying doesn’t begin with opening your coursebooks. It happens long before that.

Have you ever sat down with a book open before you, but you barely see anything?

You need to cultivate the mindset first, and one of the best ways to do that is to come up with the perfect nook that puts you in the zone.

Studying is already tedious, but it can get worse if you’re not in a comfortable space. 

You’ll almost always find things that distract you if the environment is not suitable. All it takes is an innocent glance at the direction of the TV, and you start entertaining ideas of “just a five-minute break.”

Perhaps your sitting position isn’t ideal because you’re hunching over the kitchen counter. The mental exhaustion coupled with back or neck pains will just make the study session more painful than it should be.

Before anything else, make sure you have a dedicated study area. One that blocks distractions and is comfortable enough to allow deeper concentration.

2. Create a Study Strategy

If you go about life without strategizing, you may end up disappointed in more ways than you can count.

Why do you need a strategy for everything?

Well, let’s drop the techy word. What we mean is that you always need a plan for things you undertake. It gives you a sense of direction, cuts off unnecessary diversions, and a whole picture of how to get things done.

It’s no different when it comes to studying.

Ask yourself this: 

What do you need to make your study sessions effective, but at the same time, less painful? 

Perhaps you’ve been using the wrong approach all along. For some, reading study materials like they’re magazines is how they study; others need to jot down notes as they read.

You need to find a strategy that works for you because everyone has a different pace and retention ability.

Once you find an approach that works, you’ll start to notice studying getting easier. Furthermore, if you’ve always wanted to learn something new, like drafting an essay outline, having a study strategy would make it easier. 

3. Make Use of Tech

You don’t have to struggle with the traditional ways of studying anymore. Tech advancements have changed many things for the better. Use the resources at your disposal to make learning easier.

Take classes, for instance. 

Do you retain everything you hear?

It seems unbelievable just how much students forget long before the professor walks out the door. But it makes sense because it’s usually a lot of information thrown at you in the shortest time possible.

While students have always taken notes, you don’t need to do that anymore these days. Just record the whole class and go through it later when you’re studying.

The same applies to research. If you can find it online in less than five minutes, why waste time and effort flipping through the books at the library?

With legendary study apps available today like Studyblue and Brainly, you basically have half your work done for you.

4. Establish a Study Time Habit

The administration in college is usually less involved in your progress compared to high school. With all the freedom in the world, it’s easy to find yourself putting off studies until the midterms come knocking.

If anything, the last-minute rush to get some work done is what makes studying so painful. You can’t always depend on cramming to remember as much info as possible. 

Our advice is to create a study habit. It doesn’t have to be intense or interfere with your other plans.

You can make it a daily, half an hour session, even less, but make sure it’s a consistent effort. It’s easier to absorb information in small quantities over a long duration. Better yet, this method doesn’t hurt your brain.

5. Time Yourself

Ever wondered how much studying is good and how much is bad for you?

Well, everything has a limit. If you study too much or for too long, you’ll experience its negative side.

Research shows that too much studying has both short-term and long-term consequences to your health. 

Some of the immediate signs of study burnout include headaches, stress, and fatigue.

The long term health problems are even more serious, such as: 

• Depression
• Brain inflammation
• Hypertension
• Ulcers

The root cause of these health issues is not the studying itself but the stress that comes with over-studying.

That’s why timing yourself is crucial because if you don’t, you could risk going beyond your limit.

So start by knowing your limit. People have varying thresholds, which, when crossed, leads to information overload. The thing is, over-studying won’t help you learn more. It’s all pain with little-to-no gain.

Conclusion

Studying is an essential aspect of your education that sets you up for life after school. But it becomes pointless when it causes you pain, whether mental or physical.

Yet, there’s no reason why studying should be painful. If it is, then you need to reconsider your approach.

There’s a lot you can do to make your study sessions lighter and less stressful. Most of those hacks depend on your pace and interests.

Hopefully, these tips will help you come up with a practical and painless study calendar.

Author bio

Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with Copper Beech Harrisonburg to help them with their online marketing.