Study skills 1# Can anyone learn how to study effectively?

Long story short—yes! Study skills, as the term hints, are skills which means that it’s something that can certainly be learnt. As for a definition: Study skills are powerful and practical methods how to make studying more effective. The goal isn’t to study harder but to study smarter.

Study skills include various methods like specific memory techniques that make remembering new information much easier and also time management, creating study plans, psychology behind fighting procrastination, tricks how to approach exams, effective note-taking and overall adopting good study habits that are crucial for success.

The main advantage is that study skills can be applied to any study field. It’s something you learn once and then use it on whatever. Even work-related things later on in your career. It’s not a thing only for learning foreign languages at it might seem because memory techniques are often explained using vocabulary.

To be honest, it’s quite unfortunate that study skills aren’t taught automatically at school. If you’re failing a subject, teachers usually tell you to study harder and simply do your best. They don’t try to examine what you might be doing wrong in the process of learning itself. Why? Because they’re either too busy for an individual approach or (and that’s very sad), they just don’t know.

So if you’re feeling that that you can’t seem to remember something, understand a new concept or manage your time properly, it’s not because you’re stupid. You just don’t know how to go about it, that’s all. The educational system failed to teach you the most important stuff—to teach you how to learn.

Never put yourself down and don’t compare yourself to straight-A students. The chance that they’re geniuses is actually quite small. They either put lots of time and effort to maintain their brilliant grades or… they know some universal principles that evaded you. They might be already using some specific techniques.

Study skills aren’t about intelligence or grinding textbooks. It’s not about studying longer hours and losing your social life. It’s about using your time effectively. As the guru of study skills Marty Lobdell, who died recently, was always saying: “Study less study smart.” (Do look up his lecture on YouTube, it’s totally worth it!) We’ll be discussing some essential study techniques in upcoming articles. Coming soon!