We keep on learning throughout our life – it is a never-ending process. A person should always be starving to learn, and it ultimately helps in his growth. But yes, it takes time which is precious for everyone. 

Well, the best trick to learning more and more in this small journey of life is to master the trick to study fast. Thanks to the researchers and scientists working in the field of neuroscience who have published several studies on how our brain works to process information. You can find several facts on how to speed up the learning process for the brain, along with tips to enhance memory retention ability. 

The ability to study fast or accelerate the learning process is probably the best thing you can do to progress in life. But in order to gain this skill, you need to follow some consistent practices. It requires extreme willingness to change and determination to learn. When you are able to study fast and learn quickly, you can naturally become a life-long learner. It can soon turn out to be your extraordinary superpower. It is not possible to stop the universe from changing but yes, you can improve your ability to adapt to the change, and it can be done only if you are a good learner. Therefore, you need to learn how to study fast and rember everything well. 

Study Fast – Sark Labs

What do you mean by the ability to study fast?

Study Fast – Sark Labs

When we talk about quick learners, we remember students who often breeze the class. Those memory champions are known for their amazing ability to remember complicated things such as the exact value of pi. How do they memorize all that? Probably they have some superpowers! 

Well, you can also learn skills to study fast. There are no superpowers or gifts that are reserved for a few people only. Moreover, you don’t even need supplements or pills for this. Rather, the ability to learn fast grows with consistent practice. 

Study Fast – Sark Labs

As extensive amount of information is being updated on the internet every day. A person needs to invest in some effective learning techniques to grasp relevant information from various resources. It is more important for students that have to study multiple subjects every day or prepare for exams with several topics. If you gain the power to study fast, it can automatically bring you incredible results. Therefore, investing your time and efforts in learning strategy to study fast makes sense. 

It is about managing energy, not time:

Energy – Sark Labs

Before we discuss various techniques to build the ability to study fast, it is important to mention that this is not about time management; the process is inspired by energy management. No matter how much time you want to spend on studying or learning, if you are able to control your energies in the right direction, you can do miracles. It is true that you need to spare some time to master this skill, but the most important is to invest your energy.

Experts consider energy as the most important source for the learning endeavor. The ability of the human brain to grasp new ideas and concepts doesn’t link to the time that you spend taking notes; rather, your state of mind and the energy that you have while doing so. Energy is a finite resource, and it must be utilized carefully on the right task. 

Essential Tips and Tricks to Study Fast:

After understanding the importance of learning fast and the factors that play a role in this process, let us talk about various trusted tips and tricks that can help you to study fast. Spare some time to go through the details below, and soon you will be able to build a habit of learning fast:

Stop blocking your way to success:

Library – Sark Labs

In case you are among that 20% of American students that prefer to study all night during semester exams, it is important to mention that this strategy rarely works for outcome enhancement. Instead, sleep deprivation is directly linked to poorer performance and may also hinder the long-term memory retention ability of the person. Although all-nighters can make up great stories, they cannot be called efficient or sustainable learners. 

We all try to measure our study efforts in terms of time, but the crazy long-hours studies can only bring frustration and disappointment to us. Instead of measuring your study time in terms of quantity, it is better to focus more on quality. If you count on the high-energy work of your daily routine, you can easily outperform the night shift zombie version of yourself with ease. Therefore, it is good to set up a reasonable study pattern for yourself that cannot hinder your journey to success. 

Amazing trick to learning in your sleep:

Healthy Sleep – Sark Labs

If you feel that we are going to tell you a technique to play a lecture in the background while in sleep to study fast, that’s definitely not true. This trick has already failed the scientific test, so you should not look for any such alternative. Well, the great news is that you can still learn in sleep; however, the concept is totally different. Studies reveal that the non-REM or slow-wave sleep cycles can help the human brain to convert short-term memories into long-term memories. This process can easily help you to understand patterns and to develop connections between existing ideas. This process can soon help you solve potential problems and understand how to study faster for exams.

Sleep can also help you reset your brain so that it can gain new information. Therefore, next time when you feel that your head is filled with brim and you are not able to practice more, it is time to take a short break or nap to reset your brain. It means that when you are not able to use your sleep time to gather more information into your brain, it is better to use this time to get a good night’s sleep so that your brain can regain its energy to learn more.

Learning in your sleep – Sark Labs

If you struggle hard to get a good night’s sleep, you may need to follow some trusted ideas. One of the best recommendations from experts is to avoid drinking caffeine after 2 pm so that you can enjoy better sleep at night. This is because caffeine stays in our system for almost 6 hours after consumption, and it can leave an adverse impact on your sleep. It is also good to establish a healthy routine for night and morning. A particular routine can guide your body about when is the right time to power down. Moreover, waking up at a specific time in the morning can help you to ensure success with learning due to a fresh mind.

Other than this, it is important to avoid doing highly stimulating activities before bedtime. It means you should avoid listening to energizing music, doing an intense workout, exhilarating readings, taking heavy food, or watching some intense TV shows. Set up a favorable and comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom so that you can enjoy healthy sleep without any distractions. It will automatically help you to enjoy the healthy functioning of your brain so that you can study fast. This is the most effective solution for how to study fast with understanding.

Enhance your focus and concentration:

Focus and Concentration – Sark Labs

Once you have improved your sleep quality and have boosted your energy levels, the next task is to work on your focus and concentration. Note that focus here means the ability to sit down and learn the topic. It should stop you from cleaning the room as a part of procrastination. When your energy is up, you have to channel it in the right direction to achieve your goal. Once you develop focus, you will find best answers to how to study fast for exams.

One of the best tricks you can follow at this stage is the Pomodoro technique. The idea is to set timers for your study and then take short breaks once the timer ends. The inventor of this technique advises setting up a timer of 25 minutes with a five-minute short break after that. But note that during these 25 minutes, you have to stay completely focused on your study without being distracted from your surroundings or your mobile phone. In the five-minute break, do some simulating activities such as stretching or taking a deep breath but do not spend this valuable five minutes on social media. Repeat these sessions time and again before taking the long break, and you will be able to see great progress in your work.

Studies reveal that the human brain is not that good at multitasking. This is the main reason why the Pomodoro technique works because it allows your brain to focus on only one thing at a time. As a result, you can avail better results to study fast.

Start taking notes for everything you study:

Taking notes for everything you study – Sark Labs

It is good to work on your note-taking skills so that you can learn faster. Note that accurate and thorough notes can automatically help you to remember valuable concepts while gaining a deeper understanding of the subject or topics. Whenever you start a new chapter, make sure that you follow different strategies for organizing your notes in the form of digestible summaries. 

Experts advise taking notes in your own works so that you can memorize them with ease. It is good to leave spaces between important ideas so that you can revisit them later and can also add more information if needed. Students should use a consistent method for symbols and abbreviations so that they do not miss out on information. Moreover, instead of writing full sentences, you can write details in phrases to save time. If possible, it is good to use a different color pen for important information. Such highlights in notes can guide you better for how to study fast in less time because you can identify focus points with ease.

Some studies also reveal that it is more fruitful to take notes with your hands instead of typing them on a laptop using the keyboard. They recommend using pen and paper to write down your concepts because it leads to an enhanced retention rate in memory. It means that when you break down information in your own words on paper, your brain can recall those details more efficiently; hence, it can perform better in tests.

Initiate the fight against procrastination:

Hourglass Procrastination – Sark Labs

Students may find several reasons to procrastinate. It may be triggered due to a topic that is too difficult to understand or something that appears boring to you. The best idea is to incorporate a five-minute rule that can help you to convince yourself to work or study. In this rule, you should do the task at least for five minutes to ditch the thought of procrastination. Do that task with full dedication in those five minutes, and then take a short break. Repeat this time and again; slowly, your brain will get involved in that task and gain momentum with ease. Whenever you are studying a subject or topic that you find boring, this technique may help you find your pace for learning. On one side, where the Pomodoro technique is used to reduce distractions in the study, the Five Minute rule is effective enough to trigger individual study sessions.

Pay attention to the surrounding environment:

Surrounding Environment – Sark Labs

Scientific studies reveal that the surrounding environment has a big impact on your subconscious mind. This is worth considering when you are trying to master your learning process or are building a habit of studying fast. It is important to design a favorable environment that can motivate you to study instead of indulging in other distracting activities. 

It is good to keep your phone away from you and avoid access to social media and YouTube. Studies show that the efforts required for a task to be completed are directly related to the opportunities available around. The sad news is that video games, social media, and YouTube videos appear very attractive to the brain. Therefore, it is important to protect your brain from falling for such opportunities. 

Prefer to set a careful and well-organized routine at the beginning of every session. It can be about pouring coffee into the mug on your study table or putting some study music on. The idea is to give your brain signals that it is time to study. 

For better outcomes, it is necessary to set up a separate study space, preferably away from a relaxing area. Also, notify your family members and friends about your study routine so that they do not come to distract you. Keep your study table well organized and put all the study material over it, instead of some games or phones, etc. It may help you to avoid unnecessary distractions.

Fast learning involves active practice:

Active Practice Fast Learning – Sark Labs

Many students simply take notes in the classroom when the teacher is presenting the session or while reading a book, and then they re-read those notes when exam time starts. This approach is not suitable for the actual method used by the brain to process information. With this traditional approach, we are not going to practice new skills. In real life, you should follow active practice to learn something. It will help your brain to handle information more effectively and efficiently. 

Studies reveal that reading pre-written notes is a low-value activity. In order to boost your ability to learn faster, you should first try to improve the retention ability of your brain, and it is possible when you do things practically. Active practice can assist you with your goal to study fast, and it can bring fruitful results after your school as well.

Follow Feynman technique:

Teach to Learn – Sark Labs

Few trusted techniques can improve your learning experience while helping you find new ways to acquire new knowledge. One of the most effective options is Feynman technique which motivates students to break down the concept or idea into various components and then explain them in their own words. If you are looking ideas on how to study fast with concentration, feynman technique is the best alternative. 

When you sit to study, take an empty paper and write everything you understand about the topic or concept. Break down the important points in the most reasonable manner. There is no need to use any primary source to do so; just rely on your understanding to prepare this information. If you find yourself stuck somewhere, then go to the original source of that information and fill in the blanks. Once your notes are ready, go through the explanation and look for friction. Do you find it coherent in structure? Check if there is some unusual assumption of complexity in the information. 

Feynman Technique – Sark Labs

In the next phase, you have to simplify the information and improve the technical terms to avoid any mistakes. This technique can help you to understand lengthy and complicated topics with ease, and you will be able to perform well with them in the exams. 

Now you have gone through all the amazing tips and tricks to become a fast and efficient learner. In order to study fast, you should first learn to manage your energy and then build up your focus. Train your brain to learn while avoiding distractions and the feeling of procrastination. It is good to make your study hours more motivating by setting up a dedicated study space. Do not forget to take help from proven research-backed methods to improve your study outcomes.