Study Tips When Studying Alone

Picture this; you wake up in the morning mentally prepared to take on the day and even go as far as making the proclamation that “today is the day I finally have my breakthrough with that module and study hard” and smile at the hope of the day. Next thing you know, it’s been three hours, you’ve zoned out and not done a single bit of studying.

You may have been on TikTok watching videos or falling into YouTube tutorials’ rabbit hole. We know it happens, and that’s why this article will give you a guide on how to focus and make the most out of studying and prepping alone. Let’s get into it.

Routines Rule and Routine Rules

The author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, talks about how it is much more beneficial and important to focus on building atomic habits rather than working hard at achieving a certain goal. See, when you set a goal, you put yourself under a deadline that may seem almost impossible to achieve. Take fitness, for example; if you have a fitness goal (say you want to gain muscle or run a marathon), training for that with it as the main goal will make you feel demotivated at some point when you maybe run a little less than the previous day, or you skip a workout because you were studying late turns into a week, so when you finally head back, you put yourself through the slaughter trying to make up for the skips.

Atomic Habits mindset, however, lets you work through forming healthy habits that help you build a lifestyle around your goals, in turn creating tasks. So, again the example of a marathon; when you dedicate a realistic and achievable habit within, say, the first week, you create something like a routine. So, you want to run a marathon, which is one day out of the year that you can ensure is locked out for that. But to train for said marathon, you have to physically run towards it. However, realistically, between your study schedule, social life, attending class, and completing assignments and projects, you only have about an hour a day of free daytime. So, take 15 minutes and run as part of your daily tasks. Not only are you training your body for your goal, but you are also dedicating time a day to achieving it. 15 minutes starts becoming half an hour on weekends, holidays, and free days, an hour becomes two then five, you see where we’re going with this, champ, don’t you?

Establish a time when you will wake up, have breakfast, dress, and start your studies. If you don't establish a schedule for yourself, your breakfast break can turn into lunch. A routine gives you a framework for accomplishing tasks, prevents the minor things (like taking a shower) from getting overlooked, and gives you the freedom to schedule breaks from studying.

Get Ready and Dressed (Up or Down)

Let’s face it, staying in your PJs till midday is nice when you want to snuggle up in bed or the couch binge-watching your favourite series. When you want to complete your tasks, not so much as they put you in that slow-morning mood, making task completion almost impossible. So, get up, get ready as if you were going to campus (which we also suggest as an option for a place to study), take a shower in our Study & Stay student housing, and get dressed and ready for your study time. This will shift your attitude to work mode, making your task slightly more completable.

Kit Your Desk

A clean and chaos-free desk can help you bolster your focus. However, while doing so, adding pieces of things that’ll help you study may feel like it’ll create a mess. Fear not, we’ve got your back! Get stationery and study supplies and essentials that you like. Say you like anime, get yourself some anime-themed pens, highlighters, a pencil case, etc. and set them up aesthetically on your workspace. Also, invest in a large calendar or planner so you can jot down your tasks and tick them off upon completion. We get that apps can help with task management, but we want you to minimise screen time, plus, we all know one minute you’re clearing a task, then suddenly you’re checking TikTok because a notification popped up. We’re not judging, we just relate.

Add bits of snack and candy to your workspace, too, to lighten it up and get your nibble on. Don’t forget the water bottle, you don’t want to keep having to get up during your study time to refill on water and snacks.

Invest In Quality Audio

Some of us are regular searchers of “lo-fi study music” on YouTube because we know music helps us study. Get yourself a good pair of headphones, pump up that bass or jazzy saxophone, and get your study groove on. No matter how excellent your focus, if you study at home, it can be virtually impossible to tune out the noise around you. White noise, cars passing by, and ringing phones may be very distracting and difficult to avoid. A good noise-cancelling headset will be a huge help in this regard! You’ll be able to preserve both your sanity and your love of those around you.

Don’t forget to invest in a good quality chair, too, for comfort. Your future self will thank you for it.

Fuel Up

We mentioned making yourself something to eat when creating your routine, and we want to emphasise the importance of filling up before and during studying. Not only will you have the energy to complete your tasks, but your focus will be bolstered, and you get to take a break mid-studying to give your mind and eyes some mild R&R. Plus, prepping your food in our Study & Stay student accommodations’ shared kitchen facilities will give you some time away from the desk and an opportunity to catch up with some mates without breaking focus time.

Study & Stay Staying As A Stadio Student

We offer student accommodation in Bellville with shuttle services for you to get to our Stadio campuses. Take advantage of Study & Stay’s offering and enjoy facilities like the above-mentioned shuttle, laundry, kitchen facilities, etc… We can’t wait to give you a home as you navigate living and studying in the Cape.