Part 1. "Obvious" advice
Most of the recommendations for those who want to study better look rather banal: in addition to attending lectures and doing homework, it is important to eat right, lead a healthy lifestyle, get enough sleep, and monitor the daily routine.
All this is certainly good, but how exactly can these common truths help a student? How to organize the daily routine so that you can do more and better remember the material? Is there a real connection between feeling thirsty and cognitive abilities? Is it true that sport helps in studies (and it's not just about extra points for the exam )?
Let's try to understand everything below.
Timing: how to manage your time wisely
During the day
In his new book writer Daniel Pink) gives a lot of advice on time management from the point of view of biology, psychology and even economics. Among them, there are several very specific recommendations that can help in your studies. In particular, Pink advises when planning the load to take into account .
Circadian rhythms affect not only our sleep, but also our mood and concentration, which cycle through the day. On average, seven hours after waking up, concentration and mood reach their lowest point, after which they begin to increase again (which is why many life coaches advise not to postpone important tasks and start them in the first hours after waking up). It is with our circadian rhythms in particular that the fact that the likelihood of errors at work (for example, in medical institutions) increases between 14 and 16 hours.
Of course, students do not have to get up early every day, and at the same time, but understanding their and circadian rhythms can be used to benefit learning. For example, the most difficult tasks (like preparing for exams or a seminar) should be planned for the first two or three hours after waking up - realizing that in the following hours the concentration will inevitably decrease (we will talk about what to do with this “unproductive” time below) .
Before the deadline
Of course, the most acute shortage of time is felt on the eve of exams. By the way, “pull to the last” is not just a habit of negligent students, in fact, this behavior is typical for most of us. One example that Pink in his book - a study by scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles, who showed that most of the groups of subjects during the experiments do nothing (or almost nothing) for at least the first half of the time before the deadline, and only then start working.
To avoid the “burning train” effect, scientists advise setting intermediate goals and using the “chain movement” technique: every day during which you spent time preparing for the exam (doing a laboratory, writing a term paper), mark with some kind of symbol. A chain of such symbols in the calendar will become an additional motivator to not quit what you started and reach the deadline without “gaps” and emergency work. Of course, the calendar will not sit you down for notes and will not turn off social networks, but it will serve as an "irritant" and a reminder - sometimes this can be very useful.
Need more water
Another fairly common advice is to not overdo caffeine while still drinking enough water. This recommendation has a well-founded scientific confirmation - research in this area has been going on for a long time. So, for example, during one of the experiments (scientific published in 1988) it was shown that even slight dehydration (1-2%) can cause cognitive decline. The study, in particular, noted the deterioration of short-term memory and the ability to solve arithmetic problems.
And the authors of a later in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that "dehydration is a prerequisite for cognitive decline." Therefore, in order not to lose focus while studying, monitor your well-being and do not tolerate thirst - especially if you are actively training in addition to classes.
ITMO University
Learning in a dream
Another tip from the realm of the obvious - that a healthy and long sleep has a positive effect on our mental abilities - is known to everyone. American researchers went further - and during the experiments they revealed another important feature related to how the brain works during sleep.
They that the subjects remember pairs of unrelated words better if they memorized them not in the morning, but before going to bed. In this regard, scientists conclude that sleep stabilizes our memories and allows us to consolidate them - another argument against a sleepless night before an exam.
brain exercises
At first glance, the connection between sports and good academic performance is not obvious - in modern culture, the "typical excellent student" and physical activity are rather antonyms (remember ). In fact, exercise is one of the factors that improve cognitive abilities, which is also confirmed by a number of scientific papers.
So, for example, one of dedicated to this issue, confirms the link between exercise and improved memory. The researchers analyzed the performance of 120 people and noted the relationship between regular aerobic training, increase in size and (as a consequence) improved spatial memory of the subjects.
Another benefit of exercise is that it helps in dealing with stress. In the American Psychological Association, for example, that one of the advantages of regular exercise is the strengthening of the interconnections between the physiological systems (muscular, cardiovascular, nervous system) that are excited in an emergency. During training, the body “works out” a standard reaction to stress, as a result, “in combat conditions”, we are able to control ourselves better, since during training the body has already “learned” to work with such conditions.
In 2012, the journal Brain Research published materials on the relationship between exercise and brain function. The result, however, was not particularly impressive - based on the analysis of 79 scientific materials, scientists noted that the relationship between the two phenomena (physical activity and improved cognitive abilities) does exist, but is rather weak. True, scientists do not deny that a more significant effect is possible and depends on what kind of results of cognitive activity the researcher fixes during the experiment.
Weightlifting or CrossFit might not be the best way to get started in the world of sports: if your goal is to improve your health and improve brain function, even moderate physical activity will do. For example, the World Health Organization doing about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week is enough to help the brain, start to improve health and at the same time not abandon your studies.
TL; DR
- Plan intense mental stress for the first half of the day (regardless of when this “half” starts for you). During the first two to three hours after waking up, you will be as focused and motivated as possible to solve complex problems.
- Keep in mind that after about seven hours from the moment you wake up, your motivation and concentration will reach their lowest point - at this time it is better to break away from your studies and go for a walk or run to “unload your brain” a little. After you restore strength in this way, it will be easier to continue classes.
- In general, do not neglect sports. Sports alone won't improve your grades, of course, but they can make your studies more effective - it will make it easier for you to deal with stress during exams and remember information in lectures. To do this, it is not necessary to spend long hours in the gym or sign up for a kung fu section - even 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week will be a good addition to your studies and improve your overall well-being.
- Remember that even mild dehydration impairs cognition, so pay attention to how you feel - don't ignore your thirst. Especially if you do sports during the day.
- Despite the fact that it is better to plan the most intense mental loads for the first hours after waking up, it is quite possible to postpone memorizing information until the evening. If this is problematic - for example, you need to learn a lot of tickets for an exam - use the time before bed to review what you have learned. This will make it much easier for you to remember the information the next day.
- If you put off studying until the last minute, remember that you are not alone. To "deceive the brain", try setting yourself intermediate mini-deadlines (for example, "find articles on the topic of the term paper", "write a literature review", "think over the structure of the study"). Starting now, mark each day until the deadline that you have progressed towards the task. A chain of "crosses" or "dots" will be an additional incentive to do at least something during the day that will help move towards the goal.
In the next part of our review, we will talk about how muscle memory affects grades, and why “knowledge about knowledge” is an area that will help you seriously improve your academic performance.
Source: habr.com