Self Study -- Techniques, Pros and Cons

Self Study -- Techniques, Pros and Cons

Part-II: The Actual Preparation

Start from the first day

‘First impression is the last impression’. You are not going to put any impression on anyone else but on yourself, your mind and your own habits are going to depend upon these. As mentioned before, start practicing two or three days before your schedule and on the first day, gather all your energies and make it fully productive.

Follow your schedule fully the first day.

Be very strict.

You must not think ‘it’s just the start, I’ll be more punctual time by time’ No! this way you’ll only get lazier time by time.

     Sticky notes

To keep important things in your mind forever, make small cards or notes and stick them on a wall just besides your study table/area. A much better option is to get a softboard and stick your important things on the board.
You can write formulae you study or some equations and stick them in front of you. This way, things will be memorized forever due to repetitive revision. And you’ll see that during the exam, you’ll naturally recall ‘oh! That was on my wall, yeah! I know it very well’

   Use technology and internet

With advancement in technology, there is no doubt that resources for knowledge have also increased. There are many websites, applications and games which can aid effective learning along with e-books and notes.
Sometimes, when textbooks feel like a bit uninteresting or if you are too lazy to read lengthy topics, it can be a fun as well as learning to use such resources.

     Use several sources

Don’t just rely on one textbook or two, but study from anywhere you find the related concept. You do need to select a textbook which you will use for revision, though revision guides are great help, but you can still choose the book that covers your syllabus most and use it for further revisions. But again, don’t rely on that one textbook that will cover your syllabus. The more sources you study from, the better the concepts are going to stick in your mind. Use Youtube, Wikipedia, reference books and other revision guides or revision websites for your course.

    Make learning fun

As mentioned before, do not be burdened. Stay easy and make and follow a realistic timetable. You can make your learning fun in many ways. It may be helpful and much easier to understand by reading aloud and acting like you are teaching someone. This makes your concepts clearer and it will avoid you from just cramming over your lesson.
Another way is to actually deliver a lecture to someone. This is really going to make you crystal clear on your topic and give you a full command on every aspect of the topic. Yeah! of course you’ll have to prepare your lecture first, which will be hard but worth the time spent.

 Stay motivated

 It is very easy to lose motivation halfway along the road to examination. Keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself of the purposes of your study and your career. If you still find a need for motivation, watch videos of motivational speakers or sometimes, even an adventurous movie can give you a boost-up of motivation.

        Write down your daily progress elaborately

Do not dodge yourself by thinking ‘yeah! I spend a lot of time on my study table today, at least I have done something’. No! You have to follow your written plan. As mentioned earlier, make a column before every goal to write down your progress.


After writing it down, you’ll surely feel happiness and more motivation if you followed your schedule and done assigned task. And be ready to face some guilt if you couldn’t achieve goals.

 Don't let yourself collapse

 Suppose you couldn’t follow your timetable, don’t let yourself lose the grasp on the struggle to success wholly. You are a human being. You have many miscellaneous and unexpected chores. Sometimes there are guests. Sometimes whether is too good for your mood to remain in ‘study mode’ or it may be too harsh. Sometimes, you don’t feel good. Sometimes, you get an unexpected appointment with someone and so on. There are many other factors that can make you linger behind in your schedule. This is the time you have to fight the devil back. 

"Fall seven times, stand up eight!"

Couldn't follow the schedule? No worry! Make a new one.  You are a human being after all. 

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Eat, sleep and exercise properly! 
You can never study effectively unless you keep your life balanced including your diet, exercise, sleeping patterns and even keeping your mood in balance.

Watch your eating habits. Eating too much can make you lethargic and may make you fall asleep at odd times, especially at study times. Eating less can make you weak and unable to focus. Exercise is very essential for good mental work. And ‘sleep’ is not a bad thing. Without taking enough sleep, do not expect yourself to achieve any goal. So, you must keep in mind to watch your lifestyle pattern and make improvements wherever you need it.