Wondering what’s the best time to study? This blog will give you tips on how to decide what is the best time to study based on your preferences and commitments. It will also guide you through techniques to create new habits while controlling the old ones.
The best time to study is the one that offers you the maximum amount of alertness, concentration, and creativity. Is this time the same for everyone? How do you decide which time is best for you? Do you have to study at the same time everyday? Let’s read ahead to find out the best practices in deciding a time to study.
Schedule for study – what are your options?
Studying in the morning
Many people think that studying in the morning is the best option. That is because our brains seem to be the sharpest in the morning after having rested the whole night and a refreshing breakfast. The natural light in the mornings also plays a part in waking you up from your slumber, alerting you, and triggering your biological clock.
Therefore, the morning time is great to open a notebook to learn something new. It is also great for just flipping through your old notes so you can recall things better.
Studying in the afternoon
Evenings are better known for integrating new information with what you already know. You are also able to make meaningful connections with the information you have learned during the day. Evenings can be a relaxing time to put information into perspective and prepare yourself mentally for the next day.
Studying at night
Is it a good idea to schedule for study at night? It is true that many students still have energy later in the day. Studying at night also helps improve your concentration and creativity as there will be fewer interruptions at this time, so students will obviously be at peace.
The seasoned teachers usually recommend reading leisurely at night, instead of watching television to end the day. Sleep is known to organize the neural connections and put the information in an orderly way. Some suggest that learning at night also helps you retain information in permanent memory.
While sleep time may seem like the farthest from active learning, research backed facts show that the subconscious mind is very busy aligning information and prioritizing information.
Difference between day and night studying
From the above, you can gauge the difference between day and night time studying. Different students may consider different times for studying due to personal preferences, social commitments, and school or college routines. However, some markers may help you decide which time is best for you. Let’s take a look:
Best time of studying is when you are the most alert:
Some students are very alert in the morning but usually have a short focusing span. Some educationists suggest exercising in the morning (or free play for very young students), increases the focus. In other words, waking up, having breakfast, and just being at your study desk might not help you actualize your full potential of alertness. You will also need some physical movement to get focused.
Best time of studying is when you are able to think critically:
If you are studying just to memorize information then it is not a recommended study practice. You need to know a way of studying that will help you apply the information learned in different situations and under different circumstances. If you can think critically while studying, you will automatically be able to retain information.
Best time of studying is the one you can follow everyday!
Teachers discourage from studying just before the exams or skimming past papers before the exam day. Understanding and thinking are central to the process of learning, which takes a lot of time. Therefore, your priority should be to increase the load of studying gradually and be consistent! Studying everyday is the key to this outcome.
How to remove distractions while studying?
Does your phone usually ring in the middle of the class? Do the social media notifications ping while you try to sleep? Don’t worry – you are not alone in the battle against distractions! We are here to help you find answers to how to focus on studies! You can fight distractions by changing habits! So, let’s understand the habits:
#1 Habits always start with a cue
Whenever you are trying to create a new habit, the first step is to attach a cue to it. For instance, every time the doorbell rings, you check who’s at the door. Similarly, every time your phone rings, you pick it up without much thinking. The doorbell and the phone ringtone are cues to your habit.
Think of cue as the lights of a traffic signal: the moment you see the red light, you stop, even without thinking. Red light is the cue to our habit of stopping.
If you are a morning person, your cue can be 7:00 AM. Similarly, if you choose to study int the evening, you should set a cue against an evening time. Once the cue is there, it is time to switch off the internet and the phone. The moment you switch off the phone, your brain receives a signla that it has to go into concentration mode.
#2 Habits are made when you reward yourself
Rewards can come in many forms. So, when you stop at the red light, your reward is a sense of satisfaction and responsibility that makes you “feel good”. Similarly, when you attend to unnecessary surfing of the web while studying, you have a feeling of excitement. In other words, we fulfill our habits because we receive rewards!
#3 Old habits can be controlled
While you are trying to develop new habits, you might still be clinging to some old ones too! For instance, if you are trying to not attend to the phone while studying, you may still attend it on some days and become distracted when it rings.
You can ignore an old habit by consciously ignoring the cue of the old habits. It is like pressing the button in an elevator for 5 years and now you want to learn to press another button – you need to consciously pick the button you want to push!
Why do we delay studying?
Procrastination or the habit of delaying studying, taking notes, and preparing for exams is perhaps the most common cause behind poor performance. We believe that every student has the ability to become a successful student with techniques to overcome this barrier to performance.
We delay studying because we shy away from work
When we are not using any techniques to improve our performance, we are merely giving in to our desire to not work. We use several ideas to delay studying, such as:
- I can do this later.
- I already know this one.
- I will study with friends. That’s the only way I don’t waste my time.
- This is not important. Let’s do something else.
- I will study near the exam else I will forget everything.
- If I study more, my brain won’t be able to retain everything.
- I will take notes from someone. Who studies from the book?
The real reason behind delay is that an unstructured day or a lack of plan of study leads you into the trap of delay. You can get rid of this delay by following simple techniques to counter the habits of delay:
#1 Pomodoro technique:
One of the smart study tips is to follow Pomodoro technique. Study with a deep focus for 25 minutes then give yourself a short break. Give yourself a small reward for coming so far. Then start studying again for 25 minutes and so forth.
#2 Making and changing habits:
Delaying studying is also a habit, so you can change it by using the above mentioned techniques of making habits.
Best study time: Should you study for long hours?
How to study effectively at home doesn’t always mean studying for long hours. To prevent the study burn-out and maintain good grades, you need to learn to study smart:
#1 Long hours of study vs focused study
You will return from breaks much more focused! Focused study is usually not the one that’s done for 12 hours straight. Instead, it is the one that may last 30 minutes but is productive for you. You can take these breaks to train your brain to know that you are still going to have some fun and relaxation. This way your brain is more willing to take the load of studying.
#2 Enjoy the process of learning
Remember to have some fun while immersing yourself in studies. Enjoy the process of learning more than the grade. This is an interesting way to bring focus to studies. Research while studying, taking detailed notes, understanding through mind maps are all different ways to have more enjoyment while learning. Rote memorization takes out the joy from learning!
#3 Sleep well and take naps
At least 7-8 hours of sleep before the exam is very important to a focused performance during the exam. Sleep not only relaxes you in general, rather it is a powerful way to organize your thoughts and material that you have learned. Of course, you don’t do so consciously, but your subconscious is very much active during sleep.
Now, let’s hear you in the comments below! What is your best study time?
Remember to download the Noon App and keep learning.