Do you find yourself frequently struggling to study? Your second half of the school year has just started and I know the immense pressure put on teens for those good grades. So here are some ways I tackle studying to make it somewhat enjoyable….

Find a Comfortable Place

Study at a place you find comfortable. Most of the time, I easily get bored of staying in the same environment, so I try to mix it up a little; go to a comfortable students’ café, sit in a garden, or even on a balcony. It's nice when you change the landscape every once in a while.

Find Your Best Way of Studying

Try to know your best way of studying; are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic person? If you’re not sure which one you are, ask yourself this. when you’re not sure how to spell a word, what do you do?

If you write it down to see if it makes sense, you are most probably a visual person. To study correctly, try color-coding, write down keywords, and draw or look at pictures that are linked to what you’re studying.

If you spell it aloud, auditory methods will work best for you. Having someone read you questions for you to answer, listening to recorded classes, and just reading out loud will help you understand and remember the information better.

If you trace the letters in the air, the best way you can study is tactilely (by physical movement). Usually rocking in your seat and chewing gum when working and when sitting through tests will help.

Break It Down

Robert Fenyman discovered that we understand better after deconstructing and reconstructing the information. Hence, if you’re having trouble apprehending something, separate what you have into extremely simple points, link the facts to each other, then write it down the way you would to a ten-year-old. Sometimes I try explaining it to my little brother and it helps me organize my thoughts.

Another tip I’m sure you’ve heard that actually works is: What you took today, study today, tomorrow, and each day for the upcoming week.

In the process, make yourself simple study notes that you can easily understand. They’ll come in handy when you don’t have enough time for reading those mammoth-huge textbooks and last-minute revisions. So avoid the stressed-out scenario where you have too much to do in too little time and don’t even have a clue what to start with.

Use Your Imagination

Make it interesting and turn it into a tale. An easier way to understand better is to link the information by making up a story about it. When recalling it, the use of your imagination when studying will trigger the memory causing it to come rushing right back at you. Don't tell my Biology teacher though, I'm sure she wouldn't agree that producers (plants who make their own food) become alive and use their magic wands to fabricate starch from caged sunlight and extracted water.


I know the panic you get the night before every exam. So what can you do about it?

  • Exercise; intense physical movement produces one of the four hormones that trigger happiness: endorphins. If you have heavy studying to do, you will need to balance out the natural stress that comes with it, so sports is your way to go (even if it’s solely a jog). It's also been proven that regular aerobics helps improve brain function.
  • Another thing that helps (if it doesn’t distract you) is to listen to chill background music.
  • Don’t over-stress it, if you have something memorized and understood correctly, you’re simply confusing yourself and adding more pressure by revising and studying it again before the exam.
  • Now, this can be challenging but attempt to fight that impulse to grab your phone or check your social media, it’s just wasting time.
  • Last, but certainly not least, get enough sleep. Even if you know you didn’t study well, getting a good night's sleep will help your brain work. On the other hand, if you pull an alll-nighter, there’s no doubt that you’ll be tired and will have difficulty focusing.


I hope I’ve helped. Let us know how you cope with the pressure of studying in the comments!