At Mitkary Sir’s CAPS Academy, we always say that self-study is the most underrated aspect of studying. Self-study sharpens our skills because of a keen eye on details and concentration. Self-study is proactive in the preparation of an exam. However, you need to work really hard to effectively utilize your self-study time. Here are some pointers on how you can put self-study time to be used effectively to overcome the last minute hassles. These tips are useful for every student irrespective of the student is in XI or XII CBSE or State Board, CA or CS.
- Scheduling: This is the first and the most important task a student must undertake. This is a much personalized task, so it is advised that you custom-make a schedule for yourself, because no one knows yourself better than you. Never ever request your parents, siblings, friends or even teachers to make you a schedule. These people may not know your strengths & weakness, sleep patterns, study patterns, mood swings etc. Start with making a realistic, well-rounded and appropriate schedule for yourself. Don’t make any false promises to yourselves while making a schedule. It will only make you feel worse at the end of the time as you were not true to yourself while making it. Manage your daily schedule effectively. Designate your self-study time right after your commerce coaching classes as the concepts taught in the class will be fresh in your mind. Divide the syllabus in appropriate portions because not every chapter of each subject needs equal attention and equal time. Make sure you do not skip any portion of the subjects. Every subject is important. Scheduling really goes a long way for CA and CS
- Split the time wisely: This can be taken care while making a schedule. Split the available time into few short time frames and assign the subjects to the time frames wisely. Assign more time to lengthy subjects and to those subjects you are weak at. Give appropriate time to each and every subject so that you need not panic with the subjects later. I understand that you have many subjects for 11th 12th commerce coaching, CBSE or State Board, or even for your CA & CS courses. However you need to analyse the subjects wisely to focus accordingly. Understand your attention span so that you can take appropriate breaks at appropriate time.
- Some breaks are really worth it: When I say short I mean SHORT. During long study time, some short breaks shall always come to your rescue. This stands corrected especially when studying for courses like Chartered Accountancy or Company Secretary. Short breaks can be in the form of a quick stroll, listening to music, just relaxing and not doing anything, etc. Don’t use this break to scroll through social media because there is no denying that social media breaks are never short! These short breaks should be rejuvenating so that they help you bounce on your next slot more energetically.
- Make short goals everyday: Instead of making one hefty plan, make short plans which are achievable within reasonable time. There is another advantage to it, if this short plan doesn’t work you can change it anytime. Also these short plans shall ultimately lead you to your final destination so don’t take them lightly but view them as stepping stones to reach towards your ultimate goal.
- Eliminate Distractions: Your greatest distraction today is the social media. Keeping this aside can be tough but you have to learn to stay away from it. The best thing for this would be to keep all the gadgets away and touching them again only when you have assigned the time for it. Also understand all your other distractions like pessimistic people, unwanted guests, distracting friends etc. Eliminate them because these things should not come into your way.
- Don’t panic: All days are not the same, so there may be some days when you are not able to achieve your desired target. Try not to panic with it and power through the schedule as soon as you are good to go with it. Remember losing some slots here and there would not fail your scheduling entirely but if you fail to cope up with it, you shall definitely have something to lose.
- Make realistic goals & strive hard to achieve it: Making realistic goals is the key. Let’s not fall prey to any motivation to study for unrealistic and irrational hours, taking minimal sleep because that’s definitely not going to work. So make a realistic plan, just follow it to the core and you are through with it.
- Understand your body clock: Some people are morning persons and some are night owls. So if I say just join the 5 am club and start your scheduling, you might start with it just for the sake of doing it and then end up having a headache or some other problem, which will eventually lead to you ending your scheduling. This would never work for you. So stop following anyone and anything blindly. Your study time will also depend on the timing of your commerce coaching classes. Don’t stress yourself out. Understand your body clock and work accordingly. It shall definitely work wonders.
- Taking the right diet: You would be wondering what diet has to do with our study plan. Food has a relation with everything in life. I am not saying this because I am foodie myself but it’s really true! So, adopt a balanced diet so that you are able to concentrate on your studies well.
- Postures, desk etc. Your posture while studying and your study space matters a lot. It just sets the mood right. So always make sure you have a correct, erect posture while studying and also you study sitting on a chair with book on the table. This shall really help you a way far than you actually think.
I have attempted to summarise the topic well. I hope it works for you all. Hope you are able to gather good tips from the blog and start scheduling and achieving it. Happy scheduling and happy studying! Studies can also be happy if you look at it that way.