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We are going to take a look at the last half of this article from The Legal Secretary Journal. Find out below how to succeed at studying!

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Succeed With Your Studies

Sarah Jeffrey-Gray

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Plan realistic goals

Planning involves setting SMART objectives: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Limited (there is more information on this in the January 2010 edition of the journal). You need to plan how much study you need to do in order to complete the course successfully, and your plan may need some amending along the way as you gain more experience with the time and requirements involved.

Break things down into SMART objectives for each period of planned study:

• What will you study, and what do you want to achieve by the end of each study period?
• How long will the study period be?
• Do you have uninterrupted time to do what you are planning?
• How will you measure whether you have completed that specific aspect of your studies, e.g., are you planning to make notes on the study material or read a certain amount of text?
• Is your plan realistic?

It is good to think about how you will overcome any obstacles. What might get in the way and how will you deal with it? Pre-planning in this way is invaluable. If we fail to plan, then we plan to fail, at least on a subconscious level.

It is highly recommended to evaluate what it was about a previous study session that contributed to it going well (or poorly), then to look at how you can bring about the same conditions for the sessions which went well and how you can do things differently for the sessions which went less well

Despite all the best-laid plans, something may come up from time to time which alters our schedule, so it is really important to build in some flexibility to your overall study planning to ensure that things go well.

Organise your study time

What are the conditions like where you study? Are they conducive to study? Are there any changes you can make to enhance those conditions? Do you study best on your own or with a colleague? Most people find that they get the best out of studying when they have a dedicated space to work: a particular desk or table with all materials they need within easy reach. A space that is as free of distractions and clutter as possible will help you to focus.

It is generally recognised that we have up to 90 minutes where we can concentrate fully. The mind then needs a short rest. Whether that means getting up to have a cup of tea or water or taking a walk round the block or the garden, you will then better align with your natural rhythms and take in more from what you are studying.

Put in the effort with perseverance

Having planned and created the best environment to study in, we need to knuckle down and put in the hours, knowing that each hour we spend productively, the closer we are to our goal…..”