Often as students, we find ourselves asking what the best ways of studying are, so in an attempt to get familiarize myself with my own learning abilities, I’ve been taking notes on my personal study habits and tendencies over the course of the last week. Before reviewing the notes, I was convinced that any outside activity like listening to music or a podcast for example, would help me maximize my productivity. However upon reviewing the notes, it quickly became apparent that instead of secondary concentration activities, the key to helping me maximize my productivity was having having a perfect learning environment.

Of course, a perfect learning environment is completely subjective and can vary from person to person but for me, the ideal learning environment starts with the right location. The learning environment that is best suitable for me is a place that is distraction-free and offers quiet space which allows me to focus; so naturally, a library (surprise!) would be the best place for me to study. That being said, there is certainly a difference between productivity and learning, which I noticed being in the dorm with my hallmates around. Up at the dorm, I do not have a problem finishing assignments, however I’ve noticed that I do not retain information as well when I am surrounded by a large group of people. Apologies (kind of) in advance to any of my hallmates who may be reading this.

Now that I’ve touched upon the study habits that maximize my production and learning ability, I know would like to know what works for everybody else. As stated earlier, the perfect learning environment varies from person to person, so I would like to ask the reader for feedback; what study habits and environments work best for you?