Every runner knows that there will come a time when they will hit a brick wall — a moment wherein they can no longer take one more step no matter how hard they try. It’s the bane of some runners when they come to a point that they can no longer gather the strength within them to keep running.
It’s the same with students. Even with all of the self-help guides they find online, there will come a time when they can’t read another page. And even if they do try to turn the page and read what’s next, they know that their minds are already somewhere else.
Even if you’re studying to further your career, when you don’t feel like picking a book, it’s hard to push yourself to learn. It’s because people’s minds are designed to always choose the easiest route courtesy of survival instincts.
It’s why even when the company you’re working for will promote only IT professionals who pass the CompTIA Network+ N10-007 exam, you still find yourself struggling to study for it. That’s because the road ahead is difficult for you. Competing against other people for that promotion is hard and so the path of least resistance is to simply not study.
But, that’s not how life rewards people. Perseverance is the key to success. So, if you want that promotion, you need to work hard for it, and in this case, study diligently. Here’s how to do that.
Study in short bursts
Scientists have discovered that people who study in short chunks of time are more able to retain information compared to those who study for hours. The human brain just isn’t designed to take in large amounts of information in one sitting.
You need to let your brain rest before you stock it again with data. Rather than promising yourself you’ll spend the whole Saturday reviewing your lessons, take 30 minutes every day studying. This will effectively help you remember all those details you need to memorize.
Visualize studying
Your emotions often bar you from studying because your brain is telling you that it’s a dull process and that you may have more fun doing something else. To counter that, don’t focus on how you feel about studying. Instead, focus on the process itself.
For example, imagine yourself opening your book and flipping through the pages. If you focus more on the process rather than what your emotions have to say about studying, you’ll be more able to study your lessons. Bar your emotions from steering you away from studying.
Imagine the things you can do with the lessons you learn
Most people lose the urge to study all because they don’t feel that it’s necessary in their daily lives. A lot of people hate algebra or trigonometry because they can’t find a situation in their lives where they will need it.
If you want to push through with studying, you need to imagine how your lessons will benefit you in a real-world scenario. By reminding yourself that the lessons you’re trying to learn will benefit you after the exam, you’ll be more eager to study them.
Reward yourself
It’s also important to reward yourself now and then for small achievements, like memorizing two pages of a 100-page book on networking. This way, your brain’s pleasure center is stimulated, further enticing you to work harder or study more.
Studying may be difficult. People’s brains are wired to take the path of least resistance due to years of developing a survival instinct, which makes studying seem unnatural sometimes. As long as you use the tips above and study the smart way — not the hard way — you’ll be able to learn any lesson with ease.