Use technology to Easily study more often without feeling stressed
Do you feel like you have no time to study? Between work, family, kids, errands, and sleep there doesn’t seem to be much left. And despite all of this you still really want to earn your degree. You rock.
I love to read. As a teenager and young adult, I read tons of books, happily curling up on the couch for hours at a time, lost in the world of my characters of the science and strategy of a new idea. When I became a mom to a toddler my reading habit died.
I craved the comfort of my books, but there were never hours to sit and read anymore. I’m wondering if maybe you can relate? Anyone else missing the magical free hours in your day to read and study? And then feeling stressed and down on yourself because you should make the time?
I miss the leisure and entertainment of reading, and it’s still difficult to fit in. You don’t want to study, but you have to fit it in, AMIRIGHT?
If you can relate, then I have some ideas today to stop the self-shaming and make it much easier for you to fit in study time throughout your day even when you have no time to study. With these strategies, I started reading several books a month and got a huge energy boost from doing something I love and feeling proud of making it happen within my mommy/work life.
Why doesn’t the typical study strategy work for working adults?
As an eighteen-year-old college student, studying was my full-time profession. I went to classes, read, and spent plenty of time goofing around. It was easy to get all of my school work done. Looking back I realize what a luxury it was to be a full-time student with a part-time job!
Going to graduate school I was an adult working a full-time job. It often felt like I had no time to study after a long day of work, stopping at the grocery store, and then fixing dinner. And I didn’t even have kids then!
Working adults don’t have tons of time to study each day. Instead of studying longer, we have to study smarter and more efficiently. You know I don’t believe we have to study 8 hours a day to be successful in college. We do, however, have to build consistent habits of studying and make a little time each day. The good news is that technology can help us do this much easier.
A quick tip When You Have No Time to Study
When brainstorming ways to fit in more reading time I noticed these little pockets of time in my day where I could be reading, but I didn’t always have a book with me. Instead, I found myself scrolling through Facebook or Pinterest. I was wasting time on my phone because it was convenient—my phone was always with me and easy to pull out for a few minutes.
It dawned on me that I could load eBooks to my phone and read a couple of pages instead of scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. I was a little resistant to the idea at first. I thought the tiny screen would be hard to read and I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I downloaded a book to give it a try.
I loved it!
It was so convenient to read a couple of pages throughout my day when I was waiting in line or could steal a quiet moment while my daughter played. Even though I only read a little bit at a time, I did it maybe 5-10 times a day and over the course of a week could finish a book.
Consistency was essential.
If you always have your smartphone with you, consider how you can use it to fit in short, easy study sessions throughout the day. When you get a few unexpected minutes to yourself, try:
- Download eTextbooks to your phone
- Save PDFs to your phone
- Download videos and listen while you drive
- Get your phone to read books to you (Apple or Android)
- Record yourself reading your notes (Apple or Android)
- Install the Quizlet app to quickly review terminology or your notes
- Take notes in OneNote and review them from anywhere
When you get creative there are so many ways to get your school material in a format you can even when you have no time to study. What other tricks have you used to make your phone a powerful study tool?
Try It Yourself: 20-minute Challenge
- Choose one strategy to try on your phone this week. Download and/or install what you need to get started.
- Commit to one week of studying on your phone instead of scroll social media.
- Move the apps (social media and games) you typically kill time with to a folder or another screen to help break the habit.
- Any time you reach for your phone to kill time, study instead of mindlessly scrolling.
- At the end of the week evaluate how much progress you’ve made with your tiny study sessions.
- Leave a comment and let me know what worked best for you!
Pamela says
it helped a lot, it is amazing post. thanks!
Gul Zaman says
Mam. Wonderful and so amazing smart study technique. I think it will certainly work for me to pursue my law degree (LLB). Thanks.
Jessica says
I hope it helps. Thanks for leaving a note. 🙂
Robert S. says
I love the idea of loading up an eBook and using that as a way to help study during a packed schedule. Going to school full-time while also holding down a job can be difficult, especially at an older age. However, I can imagine that a simple trick like that can make a difference between a passing and failing grade.
Jessica says
It is challenging to balance it all. Anywhere you can fit in a little study time consistently will add it!
Hannah says
So my school doesn’t use cell phones just laptops tabs and iPods what am I to do?
Jessica says
You can make use of the same ideas on a laptop and tablet. Many of the study apps available on phones should work on tablets also. Pinpoint specifically what it is you want to do on your devices and let’s think it through!
Hannah says
So I can download quizlet on my laptop?!
Jessica says
On your laptop you would use it through their website. The only need to download is to work offline on a mobile device.