How come other students can study long hours but I can’t? Am I a failure?

I know you didn’t come up with the number 15 all by yourself. You probably heard it from other students who claim to “study like hell” for hours on end. What they don’t tell you is how your brain will react if you subject it to non-stop work of processing new information.

But I will tell you: your brain will resist. It will, at some point, shut down. You’ll feel sleepy, you’ll find it difficult to maintain your focus, and in a matter of hours you will become more frustrated with yourself and the negative self-talk will kick in. What’s the matter with me? How come other students can study long hours but I can’t? Am I a failure?

The answer is simple — no, there is nothing wrong with you. No, you are not a failure if you can’t keep going for hours at your desk. And no — this is not how you should be studying.

It’s not about the number of hours that will determine your success. In fact, forget about quantity — all you are doing is isolating yourself in a room for 12, 15 or more hours every single day.

What you should be doing is focusing on quality by helping your brain absorb study material more effectively.

What will help you is to build a studying strategy that is focused on simplifying, prioritizing, timing, note-taking, and stepping away in a mindful way.

Here’s what a studying strategy can include:

#1. SIMPLIFYING: Promise to reach one study goal a day.

Let’s assume that during the course of one day, your goal is to study for 8 hours total. How will you know what is the most important thing to do? The best way to get your mind focused is to start the day with a question, “What is the ONE thing I am committed to completing today?”

·        Posing a question has many benefits. It will encourage you to think strategically about the day and keep you focused on your top study goal. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have many study goals, but it does means that you can finish one (like reading a certain number of chapters or practice exam questions, for example) today.

·        It’s easy to do. Write the question in big letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall so you can easily see it when you wake up. Read it out loud as you start your day. Come up with an answer and say it out loud. As you go through the day, make sure you’re working on completing your top study goal.

#2. PRIORITIZING: Do the most challenging cognitive task early.

Students often leave the hard work for nighttime, thinking they’ll pull an all-nighter and get more studying done. Instead of postponing the hard work for later, do it first thing in the morning. When you do, you take advantage of your circadian rhythm, which is the biological clock that dictates which activities you’re more likely to do best at certain times of the day.

·        You’ll maximize peak performance. For most people, your brain’s peak performance happens 2-4 hours after you wake up. This is the time when your brain can focus on analytical thinking that requires the most concentration like reading, writing, critical thinking, or problem solving.

·        You’ll know the exact hours to work. If you wake up at 6, your peak times are between 8 and 10. And just because it’s noon, it doesn’t mean you have to stop; extend this time for another hour or so to maximize your peak performance and wrap up an important section, chapter, or lecture.

·        You’ll help your brain. Doing your hard work early allows your brain to focus fully on the cognitive task, with more energy you have accumulated from 7–8 hours of sleep. That’s much better than leaving your study sessions for nighttime when you’re mentally exhausted.

#3. TIMING EVERYTHING: Divide your day into shorter study periods.

Instead of dreading that you’ll have to force yourself to sit at your desk for hours, use a timer. That way you allow your brain to focus in a more targeted and effective way. Here are some examples.

·        Review study material. Set the timer to 50-minute increments to maximize concentration, followed by a 10-minute break. For really short bursts of study, try the Pomodoro technique which consists of 25 minute blocks of time, followed by 5 minute breaks.

·        Practice exam questions. Use the review questions from your textbook or create your own questions based on the most important concepts from each chapter. Write the questions down on a sheet of paper. Then, use the Pomodoro technique to rehearse for the exam. Give yourself only a short time to answer each question.

·        Take frequent breaks. When you're done with one timed segment, do something that has nothing to do with your work: get some fresh air, stretch, walk around, have a snack, grab a cup of coffee or tea.

#4. TAKING NOTES: Summarize key concepts and ideas by writing them down.

Sitting at your desk doesn’t mean you have to read the textbook passively. Taking notes as you’re reading improves your brain's cognitive skills, makes retention of information easier, and boosts memory.

·        Write down what’s relevant. This includes key concepts, ideas, and topics. Don’t waste time writing every single word from a lecture. Instead, identify what’s relevant to each chapter by following the Cornell method of note-taking.

·        Organize information in an outline or list. This saves time, enables you to skim the material when you need it, helps you locate information faster, and makes the review process easier.

·        Use colors. This applies to multi-colored pens, markers, or highlighters for making the most important sections stand out visually. Use one color to highlight top priority concepts, and other colors to identify second level priority items such as examples.

#5. STEPPING AWAY: Physically remove yourself from work to boost memory.

Have you ever heard of the Zeigarnik effect? It’s a concept in psychology which explains that we remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than the ones we already completed.

·        The brain prefers some tension. When we start a task and then interrupt it with a break, this creates a task-specific tension that can improve cognitive function. The tension we feel of having to continue working later keeps the task top of mind; the brain is still focused on it and can easily access the information it needs.

·        You can use these breaks to your advantage. As you take pauses between your deep work sessions, select activities that are not work-related — read several pages of a book, do a mini workout, run an errand, tidy up your room, prepare your lunch or a snack, or turn on some music that gets you in a good mood.

📘✏️ I have learned from many mistakes that I made over the years as a student who believed that studying non-stop was the only way to get good grades. Along the way I picked up many tips for developing better study habits that don’t require me to feel miserable, stuck, and helpless — but rather more organized, motivated, and confident of success.