Hello lazy folks who inevitably, like myself, are not all that great at the old study time and have realised that while that may have worked in high school it’s not really going to fly now you’re learning with (and paying for) the big boys. I know why you’re here. Like all your lazy students before you, you want to know how to reach max grades with minimum effort. I feel you.
Of course, the best way to succeed is to just not be lazy. To turn yourself into one of those amazing people I’ve always wanted to be who set aside time to study every evening, and probably wake up early to hit the gym and can even wear white without spilling. I hate/love those people.
But alas, you’re most likely here because these people are unfathomable to you, so instead here are some ways to get your lazy butt moving.
Study Less, But Do It Better
A life lesson you’ve probably already discovered but in case you haven’t: time behind a laptop/textbook does not automatically equate to time being productive. You know those people who are like ‘omg I studied/worked allllll night, aren’t I such a hard worker’? Yeah if they’re doing this on the reg they’re actually probably super inefficient workers.
So we lazy cats, we’re going to spend less time doing it, but we’re going to be efficient as hell. Which is essentially what these next points are all about.
Make Solid, Handwritten Notes
Can I make a personal argument for the benefit of making REALLY good notes? I’m talking hand-written, headings in different colour codes and clear dot points. This has basically been my approach for every situation in which study is inevitable. I write it out in a way I looked organised as heck then I don’t look at it until the night before and it all comes back. I mildly wish I hadn’t burnt them all when I graduated now just so I could show it, they were a thing of absolute beauty.
Yeah sure you have to take the time to reword your study material, but then you’re basically free. ‘A stitch in time’ kind of thing. Plus this has the bonus of actually knowing you understand what you’ve learnt instead of just regurgitating it so you’re already ahead of the game.
Am I an expert in the art of studying? Not even a little bit. But I am an expert in the art of laziness and I got pretty solid marks so I dunno, give ‘er a go. If you need a little more solid evidence then that (look at you, becoming a better student already!) then take a squiz at this study that proved that students who write their notes down learn more than those who type them up.
Take In A Little Bit Of More Subjects
Actual psychologists over at Psychology Today reckon that actually, spreading out study of the same topic is going to increase your ability to learn it. So basically you don’t want to learn a whole chapter of your textbook in one sitting. You want to spread that bad boy out into smaller sessions over more days.
If you have more study time (that your lazy self is actually motivated to take advantage of), start studying a little bit of something else.
Treat Yo’self
Because, science, you can legitimately reward yourself for a study session well done. According to this PubMed study on reward-motivated learning, setting yourself a specific reward for finishing a study sesh actually boosts your memory and helps you learn.
Of course, true wisdom suggests this reward should be something like ‘exercise’ or ‘a healthy snack’, for the truly lazy among us the reward is probably going to be time to be lazy in, let’s be real.
