study smarter not harder

One of the worst things you can do as a study reader is to open your book and begin detailed reading on the very first page without any preliminary work. This is like setting out on a long journey without looking at a map to see where you are going and what you are likely to encounter along the way. It is also like trying to build a house without blueprints or any idea of what you want the house to look like.

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There are different kinds of reading. Scanning the menu at a restaurant is reading. Skimming through a page of Google search result is reading. Glancing through a magazine while waiting for your turn with the dentist is reading. Devouring every word of a best-selling thriller is reading — even though you will not remember much beyond the barest outline of the plot two days after you finish the book. And "reading" is also the label given to the process in which we engage when we try to understand, learn, and retain complex material published in printed form. All of these activities are called reading, but they have very different purposes and results.

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Believe it or not, the most effective way to battle the problems of distractions, poor concentration, and low self-esteem is to improve your learning environment.

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Most people seem to prefer studying in big chunks of time. Students seem to have a habit of cramming everything into several big study sessions during each semester. This method, however, has been shown to be less effective for long-term learning than spacing out study with short, frequent sessions (known as distributed practice).

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