How to Succeed in Your Studies — Part 2
There Are No Cakes Without Plan
Do you know the quote “An idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan”? That is exactly where to start. Whether I want to study for one afternoon or several weeks, I always need to have a plan. (Burnet, 2016)
For example, if I would study for two weeks and I would not keep in mind that TODAY I need to go through just a few things, then I would feel stressed out, and it would lead me to procrastination. Knowing this, I can concentrate only on one particular thing that I need to learn NOW, which is crucial for me to be able to achieve the desired result without unnecessary thoughts about the whole exam.
To achieve this mental state, I need to plan my studies. During this planning, I need to count on my abilities and limits. If I’m able to learn ten pages per hour, then I can’t plan to take 200 pages a day.
Decomposition
In the case of a more considerable amount of studies, it is necessary to divide the problem into sub-problems. There are many ways how to do this. I could decompose it according to chapters, topics, related units, and others. It depends on the use case and the preferences of each of us.
I usually divided my study materials into specific parts, for example, in the form of graduation or final state exam questions. Each study part takes me 1–2 hours to learn. Alternatively, these parts can be divided into even smaller sub-parts if they are too large, and it is logically possible. Furthermore, I have created a table of contents for each part, so I was able to get a quick overview of the main context.
Testing
This is a necessary part of my learning process, because the aim is not to learn something, but to learn it correctly. Without verifying the correctness of the taught materials, I risk that I will poorly understand the context, and then memorize it like that.
It is up to each of us to choose the size of the test units. For example, it can be a paragraph, page, or whole study part. After I finished each study part, I took a break, and then I tested what I learned.
I could evaluate this testing by colors, emoticons, or anything else. I choose these alternatives because I feel A-F grades like at school as stereotypical and without enough motivation. After the testing, I rewarded myself with chocolate, workout, or anything that would make me happy at the moment, and that would motivate me to get better results in the next testing.
I also liked testing with another person who is learning the same study. It can proceed in a fun way, such as a quiz, where I can pick paper test questions from a bowl. In this way, we were not only motivating, but also complementing each other. We also make the atmosphere a bit lighter, for example, by adding bonus questions such as “Reward yourself with a piece of chocolate.” Anyway, long story short, I think about testing as a joy in verifying newly acquired knowledge and not as a scary punishment. (Johnson, 2018)
Phases
I was most impressed by the method in which I divided my studies into three or more phases, and at each phase, I looked at my study materials from an entirely different perspective. Each phase includes all study parts. These phases could look as follows.
1. phase
- The main goal is to understand the principles.
- I read quietly and with no rush.
- I explain to myself the problem with specific examples, or if possible on drawings, because the picture can be worth a thousand words.
- For problem-solving subjects, such as mathematics or programming, I try to solve it by myself before I start looking for results.
2. phase
- The main goal is to store information in short and medium-term memory.
- I’m always starting with, “Why?”
- I summarize for each study part what I have already learned from the first and second phases, and then I’m testing my knowledge with the previous study part. (Brown, 2014)
3. phase
- The main goal is to store information in long-term memory and understand the context.
- I summarize and test the knowledge of the previous phases before each study part.
- As far as I can, I’m trying to find a relation between new information with my experience and especially with feelings I had at that moment, because the knowledge acquired in connection with emotions can rest in the subconscious for a long time.
- Another approach is to find these relations by, for example, using mind maps or other practices. See more about this topic at How to Succeed in Your Studies — Part 4.
Planning Tools
In the case of a more significant amount of study, it was difficult for me to imagine the plan. For this purpose, I created a hint table (Tab. 1). I included individual study parts into blocks by related content, where each sheet in the document representing one block. For each phase, I recorded the date of the lesson, evaluation, and a note of the main shortcomings.
Next, I wrote down an estimated date for each study part. In the first phase, I usually planned to learn 2–4, in the second 4–6, and the third 6–10 study parts per day. When I completed the specific study part, I marked the estimated date by green color if I was planning date well and otherwise by red. Finally, I increased the whole overall time for education by 15–30% reserve. Now I know the total number of days I need for my studies. For this purpose, I can also use Gantt charts, mind maps, or anything else. (Allen, 2015)
Conclusion
The mentioned method of phases may slow down some students, but I would not be afraid to try new ways. Once these planning tools for long-term studies have been set, they will not slow down anyone so much, because it is about the usage of the same materials just for different content. With a short study plan and little training, the whole process can be visualized in mind without the need for planning tools.
It’s not just about thinking of studies from a different perspective, but it’s also the overall procedures and processes, because this is the only way to find the ones that are right for you.
TL;DR
- Why it is important to plan long-term studies.
- Decomposition and testing.
- Possibilities of long-term study planning.
If you enjoyed this article, then you may want to read How to Succeed in Your Studies — Part 3: The Power of Focused Thought.
I wish you success in your studies!
Resources
Thanks to Dan Vybiral, Dominik Tilp, Filip Ustohal, Nicole Gruberova, Martin Zaklasnik, Boryana Yaneva, Tomas Janik, Tomas Kohoutek, my family and all others who participated in this series of articles.
