How to Study Smarter, not Harder Using 80/20 Rule

Are you tired of all your efforts going to waste? You study so hard, but nothing works out. Here is how to study smarter and not harder. 6 foolproof methods to guarantee you success through the 80/20 principle.

We have all heard the term “work smarter, not harder”. In fact, I heard it today in a youtube video. Sometimes we work so hard, we sweat blood and yet nothing ever seems to go right.

Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? No? How about the 80/20 rule? They are one and the same. This is a rule that says that 80% of the result you get comes from 20% of the effort you give. This is from Wikipedia: The 80/20 rule is an axiom of business management that “80% of sales come from 20% of clients. This means if you aren’t giving the right kind of effort, you’re probably not get 80% of what you want.

Are you the kind of student that studies so hard – pulling all-nighters and studying your entire textbook, but you just don’t get good grades? Maybe you feel really let down and tired. Maybe you feel pained that your efforts go to waste.

You have to be willing to let go of your old studying habits and try out something new. I know it can be scary to think that you won’t study all night anymore. I mean, how do you know for sure that you will get better grades through studying smarter and not harder? I promise it will work and you will be happier. This is how you can learn to study smarter, and not harder.

6 WAYS TO STUDY SMARTER, AND NOT HARDER

These are my 6 tips to share about how to study smarter not harder:

1 . Answer questions | Study smarter, not harder

Reading your notes over and over again is not the best, or the smartest way to study. Sure, it’s great, and helps, but sometimes you can get more out of a different way of studying smart. One way to study smarter and not harder is to answer questions. Get questions from past exam papers, from online, or just make up questions form your notes or textbooks. This is a way to form super rapid connections in your brain. It makes exam taking so much easier than if you only read, read and read.

2 . Organize your notes to study smarter

When I say that you should organize your notes, I mean that you need to be completely aware of how all your study notes look like, whether it’s your class notes, textbooks, or study notes. Learn your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to school.

What subjects are you good at? What subjects are you bad at? What topics do you like? What do you find easy? That’s not all. Are all your notes up to date? Do you have all the notes you need? Do you have the textbooks you need? You need to fix up all the notes you don’t have. This will help you to learn how to study smarter and not harder!

3 . Set a strict routine to study smarter, not harder

This is one of my most recommended tips to study smarter and not harder. If you get into a strict routine and tell yourself that every day at 10am you will study, it will be really easy to study. Routines are very important for human beings. It makes us very efficient. If you study every day like clockwork, it means you will get better grades!

Sticking to your routine is important. That means you have to take other factors into account. These include, sleeping on time, eating right, and taking care of yourself in general. Set a time for studying right now. Are you a morning person, or maybe a night owl? Use this to your advantage and set a study time. If you try it out, you will see how much it helps you out.

4 . Be in it for the long run

Studying is about being in it for the long run. What does long run mean, you ask? This is when you know that you aren’t going to be studying for only one night every exam season. You need to finally accept that studying is going to be a big part of your life for a few years, depending on what stage of education you are at.

Face it – being a student is your only obligation right now. It’s the time to learn new things and decide on your career path for the next stage in your life. That’s why it’s important for you to have the right mindset when it comes to studying. The right mindset is what helps you to study smarter and not harder. Because you know that it’s not about the all-nighter the day before the exam. It’s about constantly refreshing your knowledge.

5 . Set realistic goals

Getting motivated and pumped up is great. It happens to me all the time. I watch one youtube video and think, yes! This is my time to finally shine! I have so much energy right now, I could do it all!

I like to use examples based on fitness. Imagine you wanted to lose body fat and look more toned. You watch one video about how this youtuber lost weight and you get so pumped up. You’re like, oh man, I’m going to work out for 1 hour straight tomorrow! In fact, I’ll workout twice in a day tomorrow!

Take a look at the facts. You haven’t worked out in ages. Actually, you have never worked out. It’s going to be impossible for you to do that consistently and in the long run. That is why it’s important to set some realistic goals.

Don’t tell yourself that you will study all your notes, all your textbooks, and everything in between in one hour, or one day. It’s just not possible, or feasible. Break studying down into chunks. Set a smaller goal. Here is an example of a goal: Tomorrow at 6am, I’m going to wake up and study for at least one hour. That’s a more reasonable goal. It helps you to study smarter, not harder.

6 . Work on one new habit at a time

While it’s great to want to immediately begin to study smarter, you need to dial it back. And I mean that in the most compassion way ever. Don’t get carried away with wanting to transform your entire life overnight. It isn’t sustainable.

Choose one good habit that you will start today. Here is an example: Tomorrow, the moment it hits 2pm, I’m going to sit down at my study table and do some studying. That’s a really good goal. It teaches you the importance of a routine, and it ensures that you will study every day and stick to your goals.

ENJOY STUDYING SMARTER AND NOT HARDER!

It’s time to adopt these new studying techniques to study smarter, not harder and get better grades. Give it a shot. It’s time to stop doing too much and getting back measly results. Try out these new methods to study in a smarter way.

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