Getting back into study mode after a break can be easy for some and hard for others. I normally find it easier because I actually like to study most of the time, and I am an early riser to get to campus. However, the end of last semester and the beginning of this semester has been a little more challenging since it has been “winter” here in Australia. It gets dark earlier and stays dark long into the morning. As such, I struggle to get out of bed and I am not motivated at all to do anything! Whereas if it were spring or summer, I get up easily and I am not as tired, regardless if the time I get up is the same. My energy levels are higher even after a ‘late’ class because the sun is still up and warm, so for me, it is easier to get into a rhythm of studying if the semester starts at the end of summer.
Studying and how much time you put down to study is all about discipline, because let’s be totally honest and say that it is not particularly fun to sit and do homework when there are hundreds of other things that would be far more fun to do. When I started school as a kid, I definitely didn’t like, nor wanted to study. My mum was the one to say; “we are doing this now” and took the time to sit with me after school. She always told me that if I get my homework done now, I didn’t have to worry about it again until next week. Because she did this when I started school at the age of 7, it just stuck with me and all through high school I would start early on homework or assessment even if I didn’t particularly want to do them. I did this because I knew it had to be done, so it was better to do it now rather than later. I worked out my study technique early on and I still study how I did when I was 10 years old because it still works for me today.
The best way for me is to say, write, say, write and also walk around while saying it because for some reason I remember things much easier that way than just to sit there and read it.
We all have something that works for us, and it’s just abou finding what actually works best for you, because if you know how to study it might make it easier to get back into study mode.
Studying is easy for me to get back into since I learned early on that if I have the discipline to start early and not do things at the last minute they will turn out better AND I don’t feel super stressed the last days before something is due!
Assessments are not the most exciting thing to do, especially after a break, but why are we studying if we are not trying to get something out of it? Everything needs to be done… even the boring stuff, and the quicker they are done the quicker they are over! That is my motivation when I struggle to find my way back to studying.
This article was written by ACPE Student Maddie Falkenstroem.
