Study tips with Chey-Anne
Some students at school are able to find a good balance between all the parts and areas of their life: schoolwork, sports, activities, friends, family, work, technology and all of the other aspects of life that keep us busy from when we wake to when we sleep.
Many other students struggle to fit their schoolwork in during the evenings and weekend. Some students come home after school and just sort of ‘wait’ until they feel like working. And what happens is they never feel like it, so they just don’t get started!
Some students start work not long after they get home, but they drag their work out over the whole night doing work in front of the TV, or the computer or their phone. This causes distractions and it takes them the whole night, but they hardly get any work done and they don’t feel like they have had a break at all.
Many students don’t start their homework until very late at night and then stress themselves out and put themselves under unnecessary pressure.
A much more effective way to approach home study each evening is to keep your school work and your personal life separate.
Don’t do your work in front of the TV, don’t do it while on social network sites or while using messenger apps, instead work in 20-30-minute blocks of time and during this time make the conscious choice to actually remove or turn off things that are going to distract you. As it is only for a short block of time, it is bearable.
Train yourself to have breaks from your distractions for the blocks of time when you do schoolwork.
You can also use your Dominic study wall planner that was given to you at the start of the year, there you can plan out your week before and after school and also write down the classes you have that day.
By doing this you will learn to really focus and concentrate on what you are doing for a block of time. You will be amazed at how much work you get done and how productive you are during this time. Then at the end of that half hour period you have a proper break and really enjoy your free time.
Chey-Anne Davis-Williams - Year 9 Siena SRC Member
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition