How do you absorb as much knowledge as possible, regardless of whether you are a university student or want to learn a new language from home?
– Students consistently overestimate study time and underestimate calendar time, says expert Björn Liljeqvist.
Studying hard in the last week before an exam, to compensate for a late start, is a bad strategy, says Björn Liljeqvist, author and former international chairman of Mensa. Since things are happening in the brain even when you’re not studying, the timing of when you start is more important than how many hours you procrastinated.
To understand things in depth, the brain needs time to create new neural pathways.
A good study technique starts even before you have to learn something. Spending a few minutes familiarizing yourself with concepts and names before a lecture can bring great results.
The goal here is not to learn or understand something in depth. You do this only to later get a “yes, that’s it” effect. It is much easier to learn something you have already heard about, says Liljeqvist.
Björn Liljeqvist, who wrote the book “Plugga smart och lär dig mer”, lectures on study technology for students at Karolinska Institutet. Archive image.
Björn Liljeqvist, who wrote the book “Plugga smart och lär dig mer”, lectures on study technology for students at Karolinska Institutet. Archive image.
Photo: Simon Rehnström/SvD/TT
Active mode
When the learning itself is to take place, it is important to be in an active learning mode.
It is about creating your own version and your own memories of the knowledge. You can try asking yourself: “Where have I seen this before? What does this have to do with me?” to create a personal connection to the knowledge.
For notes, Liljeqvist recommends paper and pen.
I usually tell students that if they can’t use the computer without looking at the screen, they shouldn’t have it up in the lecture. It becomes a shield between them and learning, he says.
Instead, take sloppy notes by hand. Repeat them after the lecture and you will get the “just that effect” again.
It can be good to take breaks while studying. Archive image.
It can be good to take breaks while studying. Archive image.
Photo: Fredrik Persson/TT
Take a break
When studying at home, Liljeqvist recommends 20–30 minutes of full focus followed by a five–ten minute break. Then start the next session by briefly reviewing what you learned before the break.
A repetition is stronger if it is preceded by a pause. Otherwise, the brain remains in learning mode and cannot enter the information into long-term memory, says Liljeqvist.
During the break, you empty your working memory and afterwards you need to dig into your long-term memory and recreate what you learned. That’s where you strengthen your memory.
The next repetition should take place the next day, and if you want to go even further, do the same after a week.
Have we gotten better at these techniques?
Awareness of good study techniques is growing, but I think the reason is that the need is greater. It has never been so difficult to concentrate and we are used to being bored.
Four tips: How to stop putting off studying
Getting started on the task that has plagued you for days or weeks also has its strategies:
1. Don’t do that thing you feel like you have to do, but do something simpler that your anxiety allows.
Think: “Is there something I can do today that will make it more likely that I will get the job done tomorrow”. A small task can break the deadlock, says Björn Liljeqvist.
2. Describe in words exactly what needs to be done.
Then you change mode from being in passive concern to being in active execution mode.
3. Give yourself space and energy.
Put yourself in an environment where you know you’ll get something done, whether it’s in the library, in a café or with a friend. Work for 20-30 minutes, take a 5-10 minute break and repeat.
4. Emotional rewards.
Reward yourself when you finish, look at what you’ve already done and not what you have left to motivate yourself. If you’re going to climb a mountain and look back at how far you’ve already gone, you can handle one more day trip.