• The key to good study habits is knowing how you learn information most effectively.books 1 image by MLProject from Fotolia.com
  
  Success in an academic setting requires hard work and time studying and completing assignments. However, whether you are in high school or college, your time is valuable, so maintaining proper study habits will ensure that you are making the most of your study time.
  
  

Get Organized

• Develop a system for organizing assignments and study materials. Have an assigned place in your room or an office area to keep materials. Develop an organization system of files, binders or folders to ensure that assignments and class materials are just an arm's reach away. This will ensure that you are not wasting your precious study time looking for materials. Another important consideration is deadlines. Purchase a planner from your local office supply store, and keep it up to date with important project deadlines and test dates. Many times, deadlines and tests tend to fall within the same time frame; therefore, it is important to plan ahead for study time. You may need to start studying for tests several weeks ahead of time if you have three or four that fall on the same week to adequately prepare for all of them. This will also prevent the dreaded all night "cram sessions" that are so prevalent in college and will prevent unnecessary stress.
  
  

Make Time

• Think about when you are most productive. Do you have more energy in the morning, or are you a night owl? This will make a difference in how well you are able to take in the information. Schedule blocks of time devoted to study during those times. Also, stick to your schedule. There is always a TV show to watch, friends to meet or a preferred activity to studying, especially in college. You must have the self-discipline to make your studies a priority.
  
  

Discover Your Learning Style

• Be an active learner while you are studying. Simply reading over a page of notes is an effective study habit for very few people. Think like a teacher. Teachers assess how their students learn best so that their instructional strategies are effective. Take the time to assess your learning style when planning your study activities. Identify the primary and secondary ways that you learn best, and use strategies from both categories. This will ensure that information you do not retain from one method, you can learn through another. If you are not sure what your learning style is, there are many online learning style assessments such as educationplanner.com
  
  

Learning Style Tips

• If you are an auditory learner, it means that you take in information best using your sense of hearing. If you are someone that enjoys lecture or classroom discussion and can follow oral directions, you are probably an auditory learner. Some ways to improve your study time are to read the information aloud several times or study with a friend and spend time discussing main points.
  Make flashcards focused on vocabulary, and quiz yourself on the definitions, but always be sure you are answering aloud.
  
  A visual learner remembers best the things that he sees. If you enjoy looking at the pictures in books, learning from videos or slide show presentations or viewing charts and diagrams, then you are probably a visual learner. You will need to eliminate visual distractions in your study area. Even a library can be too distracting, as visual learners will find themselves "people watching" instead of studying. Create your own charts, graphs and flow charts to create study materials. Make flashcards with important words or concepts. Put the word or concept on one side, and use the Internet to find a picture that represents that word on the other. You can also use YouTube or SchoolTube to find videos about the material and watch them.
  
  Some learn best while they are doing something. If you do best learning through science labs, classroom games or projects, you are probably a kinesthetic learner. Choose a study location where you can pace, tap your foot or move around without disturbing anyone. Chances are you also fidget, so studying alone might help too. Decorate your study area using your favorite color, and this will help you focus your attention to the student area. Use colored construction paper to cover your desk or even decorate your area. Think of things you can make using the information you are trying to learn. You can make games, flashcards or rhymes and songs to help you remember the information. You could also try playing with play dough or a tactile ball as you read or study.