5 things to do when you need to study, as per pknyc.

I've been putting alot of time into studying these past couple weeks. What am I saying? I've been putting ALOT of time these past months!
Anyway I've learned a few things about getting things done and retaining information for exams and life lessons and such. Let me drop some knowledge:

1. Leave your house, apartment, dorm to study.
Nothing is more of a time killer and distraction that all that electronic crap you got in that joint of yours. I should know, if I didn't leave my apartment, I'd be playing HALO. The best place is another place where other like-minded people are doing stuff like studying, reading books, and other academic stuff like that.

2. Get some fine-ass tunes to listen to.
I can't study where it's quiet. My brain needs the ruckus to get some info jammed up in it. The more stimuli you get, the more you brain can make associations with that stimuli and new information. I usually go with the ridiculously up tempo Drum and Bass stuff. Anything fast and hard to keep my brain awake and alert. Your mileage may vary. You listen to what you like. A nice cup of Starbucks doesn't hurt either.

3. Take some breaks for Pete's sake.
Look, you set aside time to study and get some work done, but your brain needs some downtime. Nothing can run forever. Concentrating and ingesting material is strenuous work. So I usually go with the 5 minutes every 30 rule. You can modify it to whatever you want to do. Hell, usually, I don't even follow my own rules. I go till I'm tired or something comes in my head and I gotta go surf the internets and then.... Wait, where was I?

4. Use somebody else's brain.
Things will stick better in your head if you have someone to throw stuff off of too. Ask questions, make jokes, make an ANAGRAM. Whatever. With the internet and some Instant Messaging Client (AIM, Yahoo), you don't even have to be in the same room together. I usually leave my IM online and if I see someone else from my class sign on, I'll bother them. Studies say that the more humorous an item is, the more memorable it will be. What studies, you say? Mine. Didn't I tell you that's all I do nowadays?

5. Write stuff down.
I know you took notes or whatever you call that chicken scratch that you wrote on the back of that index card. But once you see some important information that you know will be on the exam, write it down again. I usually have all my notes out (I don't have any textbooks, I'm too poor to buy any) and then break all the important points down into lists. And I write them out. The actual physicality of writing information down will help reinforce it into you head. Trust me, it works.


There you have it, try it out see what you get. Me? I gotta go back to studying.