How to Create an Effective Study Plan?

Every year around exam time, it is the same story. As the exam days inch closer, revision of all the subjects feels urgent. Flipping through half-completed notes, trying to remember concepts that have become fuzzy, and to-do list for revision that grows by the hour. This panic is not new, but it is the way you prepare that can solve this problem. An effective study plan helps you organise your time and room to breathe without becoming too anxious. It also helps you to stay calm while studying.

Creating an effective study schedule is simple. But before you begin, you need to have an idea of what your day looks like. You need to divide your day into chunks, which include a mix of daily activities like eating, school, etc., a few activities that help you relax like watching TV, spending time with friends, etc., and time reserved for studying.

 

Tips to Create a Study Plan

• – Start small. If you are not used to following a study plan and suddenly try and sit for long hours, you will get distracted and burn out. Sit for an hour after school or before you leave for school. You can even try to study for 45 minutes before you go to bed. This will help you get into the habit of studying, slowly but surely.

 

• – A good and effective study time table includes time for breaks instead of long hours blocked for studying. With planned breaks in your schedule, your mind gets to rest and helps in retaining what you study. You need to include planned breaks for activities like meeting friends, watching TV, playing games, and reading, among other things.

 

• – Divide your time and subjects into small topics or subtopics, as looking at the whole syllabus might feel daunting. Give yourself time to get used to this new rhythm.

 

• – Study not just the easy topics/subjects first, and leave the more challenging ones for the last minute.
• Set daily goals for yourself. This gives you a chance to reflect and review where you lag behind or are doing well.

 

• – Review material as soon as possible after the lecture as possible. One hour spent soon after class will do as much as several hours a few days later! Take good notes. Many studies suggest that making notes or studying after a lecture helps you remember the topic in a better way.

 

• – Mix up what you study every day. You do not have to focus on one topic or subject until you finish it. It might get boring, so it is a good idea to switch up subjects. Toppers study time table is also planned this way.

 

• – Find a learning method that works for you. There are many study methods like Pomodoro, blurting, active recall, colour-coded notes. It will be trial and error before you figure out what helps you understand the subject.

 

• – Keep your phone, tablet, laptop, etc., away when you study. You can give them to your parent or keep them in another room so that you don’t get distracted by yet another reel or another episode.

 

• – Schedule your rest in your study plan as well. Rest sharpens memory, resets focus, and keeps you from burning out. The same goes for food, water, and sleep. If your basic needs aren’t met, no schedule in the world will work.

The Only Rule of an Effective Study Plan? Keep Going!

Some days you’ll stick to your study schedule. Other days, you won’t. That’s fine. Start again the next day. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about showing up more often than not. In the end, an effective study schedule isn’t just a tool for exams, it’s a way to take control of your time and slowly build the life you want. One page, one chapter, one day at a time.