Do you have trouble studying? Do you fall asleep in bed while trying to learn about the Middle Ages, or are you easily distracted by sitting at the dining room table when you are supposed to focus on the periodic table? The solution to this may be to find a better study space. With the right equipment, a little planning, organization and a personal touch, you will have a better study place that can improve your results.
Read advice from academic writers from this essay writing website on how to create a comfortable space.
Find a good desk (or table) and chair. You want to be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you distract yourself or fall asleep. You will also need a suitable workspace.
- Find a desk or table whose top edge reaches a height between your waist and your rib cage when sitting at it, so that your elbows can rest comfortably on the desk without having to hunch your shoulders forward. You also want your feet to be able to rest flat on the ground.
- Use a comfortable chair that adjusts to the height of the table and desk. You may want to ditch the fancier desk chairs that swivel, roll, recline, etc. If they just become distractions
- If you are using a computer, you should have enough space to place it about 1 ½ feet (46 cm) to 2 ½ feet (76 cm) away from you.
Ensure adequate lighting. A very dark study area will not only make it easier for you to fall asleep, it can also strain your eyes, putting a brake on any study session.
- While the natural light coming through a window can be refreshing and calming, the temptation to look out of there can make it difficult for you to study. Consider using sheer curtains or blinds, or standing with your back to the window.
- Keep classic school supplies, such as pens or pencils, erasers, papers, index cards, markers, etc. In assigned areas on the desk or in an accessible drawer.
- Keep a traditional pocket dictionary, a thesaurus, and a calculator close by, even if your cell phone can do the work of all three. Using this device to do complex divisions or spell corrections is an open invitation to distraction due to the thousands of other things you can do with it.
Keep things organized. Use the desk drawers to keep things you need close by to avoid scattering them all over the desk. If you don't have enough drawers (or none), use boxes, small wooden drawers, etc. that you can stack on the desk along the perimeter of the study area.
- Organize study materials by course or subject in folders or filing folders. Classify them clearly and save them for easy access.
- You can also organize your work and notes with a bulletin board, cork boards, and wall calendars.
- Label things clearly so you can find them with the search function. Avoid cheesy names and go for descriptive titles instead. And tag the erasers!
- Try using a watch to set study goals related to time. Take into account the time you start studying a topic and put yourself under (slight) pressure to do it for 40 minutes or for the time you have established. See if you can study the next chapter of the same topic in 35 minutes the next time you do it.
- You can also try a stopwatch to check the time even more precisely, especially if you're preparing for a timed exam like college admissions.
- If the ticking of an old clock bothers you, replace it with a digital one.
