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Article by Erin Corcoran <ercorcoran@ursinus.edu>
With workloads increasing and midterms right around the corner, it’s easy for homework, extracurriculars, and sports to feel unmanageable. Dora Zeibekis ’24, who is known for sharing study techniques to her more than 150K Instagram followers under the moniker @coffeestudi, shares some of her favorite time management and study tips with The Grizzly:
Time blocking: This is the BEST and ONLY way that I manage my time. This method is just what it sounds like too. You physically block out times and dates on your calendar to give yourself a more structured view of the day. If you use this method, make sure to put in even the tiniest details like when you’re going to eat dinner or go to the gym.
The 5 minute method: The principle of this method is, if you can do something within five minutes then you should do it now. I used to procrastinate very small assignments and tasks that could have easily been completed in less than five minutes (like responding to emails).
This method really breaks down small tasks and mixes them into a way that seems very achievable because you can do them in less than five minutes. If you stick to this rule, you will save a lot more time in the future and allow yourself to be on top of things.
Read it, write it, say it method: When it comes to actual study tips, I think that repeating a topic and going back to studying it in different ways is the perfect recipe for making your long term memory concrete. What I will do is read something once, write it twice, and say it out loud three times. This helps me not only work on remembering the information, but it helps me understand it when I explain it out loud. I think this is one of the best study tips out there, so give it a try.
Modified pomodoro method: A lot of people use the classic Pomodoro method which is 25 minutes of focused studying with a 5 minute break. They then repeat this over and over again. The way I like to do this method is by taking longer breaks and doing shorter work sessions. For example, I will do about an hour worth of practice problems for chemistry or physics and then take a 50 minute break and watch a TV show on Netflix. Obviously, you should take however long of a break that you need, but I like taking longer ones.
Not giving 100% on every assignment: Although this really isn’t a method I think this is the most controversial (but helpful) advice that I can give. Maintaining a work-life balance isn’t really possible all the time, especially when you have a lot of work. That’s why I never put 100% of my effort into assignments. I always prioritize doing well on assignments that are worth more of my grade and ensure that I am not spending too much time on an assignment that isn’t worth very much. Just make sure you take things into perspective by remembering that you don’t have to be a perfect student all the time. If anything, it’s smarter to prioritize your time and energy!