7 Strange Ways to Study

Carrels in the library not cutting it? Studying should never be boring. If it’s starting to feel dull, spice it up. Want to reinvigorate your study sessions? Take a look at these seven strange ways to study.

1. Exercise

A recent study suggests that exercising while you study may help you learn a language.

In the study, researchers divided a group of 40 Chinese men and women who wanted to learn English. They ask one group to study vocabulary by studying words on a screen with matching pictures. They asked the second group to study the same words and images while riding stationery bikes for 20 minutes. They repeated the process eight times over two months.

What did they find? The students on the bikes did better on the vocabulary tests right after studying—and did better recognizing correct sentences—than their sedentary peers.

Simone Sulpizio, the study’s co-author and professor of psychology and linguistics at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele told the New York Times, “The results suggest that physical activity during learning improves that learning.”

Get moving.

2. Watch Youtube

While there’s no scientific study to support one, finding and watching Youtube videos that are relevant to your coursework can only improve your understanding.

Watching Youtube is certainly not a substitute for attending class or reviewing your notes, but if you need to complement your knowledge with video, Youtube is a great place to start.

Pop some popcorn and get studying.

3. Stick post-its everywhere

Want to remember things better? Whether it’s vocabulary lists, scientific processes, mathematical theorems, or historical dates, sticking them on the wall will help you. But not just anywhere.

Make multiple copies of the same post-it and stick them in places where you’ll be sure to look during the day. Mirrors, your shoes, doorknobs, backpacks, books, your phone—all ripe for post-its.

Plaster your world with post-it notes.

4. Sing your notes

Start gargling. Why? You’re more likely to remember your notes if you put them to music.

Pick a tune you already know, and make the words your notes. You’ll be shocked at what you remember.

Just don’t belt out a few bars during exam time.

5. Hurl insults at your study buddy—but not for real

Lighten the mood by insulting your study partner.

Here’s the trick: with each insult, you need a tidbit of what you’re studying.

See below:

· Shakespeare: you knave, he didn’t write limericks, he wrote in iambic pentameter

· Math: You’re denser than a set of irrationals.

· Chemistry: You’re boring and a moron. You’re boron.

Get the idea? Have at it.

6. Get into exam mode

Get yourself in the mood by giving yourself a dress rehearsal. Wear your school uniform if you have one, set up the screen (if there’s one for real), get an exam book if you use one, and mimic every detail of exam time.

Then sit down and instead of taking the exam, study. Practice as much as you can in your new “exam conditions.”

7. Use a timer

Set a timer for 25 minutes in which you will accomplish specific study tasks. Take a 3-4 minute break. Repeat. Take a 5-6 minutes break. Alternate between shorter and longer breaks.

Go through this process as long as you can.

At the end of each 25-minute study session, consider rewarding yourself if you remember something that you didn’t before or understand something better than before. Keep the rewards realistic, like gummy bears. Increase the quantity of gummy bears each time the material gets more difficult.

Find something on this list that suits you?

Good.

Get moving.