1. Identify your learning style
We’re all multi-faceted and multi-dimensional individuals, and this is the very thing that makes humankind astounding. Each of us have different preferences, some learn better by reading, while others like to listen, and some need visuals to animate their brain and make associations. Thus, it is important to identify your learning preferences. Perceive your own needs and you’ll be more fruitful.

2. Eliminate distractions
Social media is a major distraction, so turn it off while you’re zeroing in on school works or studying. Put your phone on silent mode or turn it to airplane mode. It’s easy for you to be tempted and check your TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to check your virtual life. But that “one last scroll” and “last 5 minutes” never ends well. Thus, distractions have a major effect on your ability to focus.

Reminder: Unya na nang TikTok or social media kay wala na’y deadline, imong exams and outputs naa.

3. Stay organized
The tidier your workspace is, the more engaged and productive you will be. Staying organized allows you to keep track of your things so you don’t have to spend 5 minutes or more looking for it. When your work area or study space is brimming with mess, those things can become interruptions that you’ll discover yourself playing with or gazing at as opposed to accomplishing your work. So to avoid that, “manglimpyo sa laman ko bi,” when you’re supposed to be studying, stay organized.

4. Time block or set up a study plan
This is another way of staying organized so that you don’t miss any significant due dates, and to avoid, “ha? naa diay ta’y assignment?” or “naa diay ta’y test?”. Make yourself a study plan and stick to it. This could be as simple as “study for 2-3 hours per day” or as complex as “study for Chemistry on Monday, Pathophysiology on Tuesday, MT23 on Wednesday, MT21 on Thursday, and complete my assignments on Friday.” Write everything down in full details to keep you accountable and recall all you have to do.

5. Do the pomodoro technique
This technique uses a timer or you could also study with YouTube to break down your study sessions into intervals. This is a traditional time-management method by Francesco Cirillo. This works best for those “dali ra ma distract.” Traditionally, you work on your task for 25 minutes then take a 5-minute break. But you can also do your own version by studying for 30-45 minutes and have a 5-10 minute break.

6. Stay healthy and hydrated
According to Asian parents, “imong lawas imong puhunan, maong ayaw pag sakit-sakit.” Speaking of keeping your brain empowered and revived, you have to accomplish more than rest to work at high performance. You need to ensure you’re eating well and getting enough water every day. Your brain needs great, quality supplements like nutrients, protein, and fiber to keep going. As much as vehicle needs fuel, your brain also needs supplements. So kung gigutom? Mukaon and stay hydrated.

7. Beat those deadlines
If you can do it now, don’t wait for tomorrow to avoid cramming (students’ favorite). Set a strict rule on tasks. If an output is due on Friday afternoon, do not wait until Friday morning. This creates superfluous stress, pressure and anxiety. Most of us put in a lot of work on our outputs on the day it is due. Thus, it is beneficial to set a personal deadline to finish 2 days before the actual deadline. Don’t settle for less when you can give your all and be excellent.

Reminder: Beat those deadlines but don’t beat yourself up. It is also important to rest, ka tropas.

8. DO NOT compare what you’ve studied to your classmates
Self-explanatory. Once you compare what you’ve studied and found out that they’re ahead of you, it creates pressure and anxiety. So you do note is the compare is the cassie in peyk indi siya mukhang dragon!

9. Connect with friends and do not hesitate to ask for help
Studying is not a race. It is better to finish and succeed with your friends than achieve things alone. It is also very helpful to ask for opinions from your friends and learn from them if ever you are having difficulties in understanding your topics and lessons.

10. Kung katulogon? Matulog
Study shows that students perform and learn better after sleeping. A sleep-deprived person cannot focus their attention and therefore cannot learn efficiently. Also, sleep itself has a role in the consolidation of memory, which is essential for learning new information (“Sleep, Learning, and Memory | Healthy Sleep,” 2020).

In other words, do not force information into your brain especially when you’re sleepy because it won’t retain in your memory and you’ll probably forget about it right after an exam or even before an exam.

It is also recommended to study at dawn around 3 or 4 AM onwards because your brain functions 100% during this time.

11. Study out? More like virtual study
People have different ways of studying. Some are comfortable and more productive when they are alone in a quiet place, and some are comfortable and more productive when they have people with them. It depends upon the person. If we notice, most students (especially college students) from Silliman University are fond of “studying out”, in McDo, Dunkin’ Donuts, and coffee shops, students gather and study together. It doesn’t matter if they have things to discuss or not as long as someone is studying with them, maybe to motivate them or to prevent themselves from procrastinating and cramming. However, because of this pandemic and with the new normal, students are stuck at home, attending online classes, far from their friends, making studying out impossible. In this case, we suggest doing a virtual study out, via google meet. You may be far away from each other but at least you guys meet virtually and you have someone to talk to during study breaks and someone to ask in case of clarifications.

12. Reward yourself
After a weeklong exams and requirements, treat yourself. You have been working hard and you also need to remember that you do have a life. In this new normal, you can have Netflix party with friends, spend time with your family, play among us, unleash that plant tito/tita in you, and more. If you only do homework every time, you’re going to get burned out. So take a rest and reward yourself because you deserve it.

13. Pray and trust God
Last but definitely not the least, pray and trust God. Amidst your busy schedule, spend time with God and be intimate with Him. Listen to worship songs, open your Bible, have that solitude, and be still before Him. When you put God at the center of it all, everything will follow. Trust in God and be reminded that your worth is not dependent on your grades, that you need rest, you’re already known, and what you’re doing should glorify Him.

Philippians 4:6-7
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Happy studying, ka trópas! 😁