Find out how you can study effectively without leaving your dorm room. Love or hate your dorm, you’re stuck with it for a while — here are some tips and tricks to make studying in your room a better experience.
Dorm Room Study Tips: How to Study Effectively without Leaving Your Room
We’ve all heard the warnings against studying in your room, but sometimes that’s just your style, how you like it – so you may as well do it right. In fact, it’s been proven numerous times that the negative effects brought on by going over the material where you sleep can be counteracted with some good habits. So, what are those good habits? Here are just a few aspects of your dorm room (and yourself,) that you can change and tweak to increase your chances of getting that A!
1. Get out of bed!
Seriously, this is crucial towards effective studying. Allocating your bed to sleep and sleep only is key to not only unwinding properly at the end of the day and thus boosting your brainpower but also preventing the possibility of distractions. Having a set place where you study that is separate from where you sleep allows you to get into ‘study-mode’ while leaving ‘sleep-mode’ for the bed itself. So, leave the snoozing for the sheets and not the studying.
2. Set your mind to your desk
According to studies, how to optimally organize your desk may largely depend upon what degree you are taking. If you’re in need of creative inspiration it might just be best to keep some tidbits and trinkets on your desk. Make it your own, give it your own personal flair and never run into a creative wall again! However, if you’re studying a more logical, exact subject – cleanliness is best. Without any clutter or ‘in-your-face’ colors, you’ll be able to focus on the subject or task at hand with ease.
3. Let the sunshine in
Continuing on with desks, consider scooting yours closer to the window. It’s only natural that humans can focus better in naturally lit environments in comparison to artificial lighting and science confidently backs it up. So, though you might not feel like it sometimes, throw open your curtains not only illuminate and sharpen your dorm space but your mind too.
This point stands especially true for those crammed and low-space dorm rooms. Being able to look out into the open world will not only provide you with inspiration but also the clarity of mind needed to hit the books! So, avoid lamps and switching on lights when possible. Try studying during daylight hours unless you have to cram into the night of course!
4. Keep the place clean
You’re probably getting the idea by now. Even if you can have a bit of clutter leeway with your desk, the same doesn’t stand for your room. So, once you’re out of bed for the day, make it. Clear away everything and certainly clear up anything such as plates or takeaway boxes that bring different smells into the small, enclosed space. Dorm rooms have a tendency to trap unsavory and dingy smells making them an unpleasant environment to be in. To make your study process more enjoyable and fruitful, consider picking up some scented candles or an infuser. Or perhaps even open up a window and let the fresh air do the job for you!
The most important step of cleaning a small room is taking a good look around it and assessing what needs to be cleaned or removed (decluttering is recommended!) A few things to add to your to-do list are emptying the bins, sweeping and mopping the floor, organizing your closet, and wiping down surfaces – whatever leads to a cleaner and clearer environment! To make this step easier, consider allocating a certain place to all of your belongings and make a mental note of it. This mapping method will significantly decrease the time you need to clean things up — providing you with more time to focus on your studies!
The point of keeping your room clean is similar to the reason that natural light is beneficial during studying – it wipes the cobwebs from your mind and leads to sharper thought processes. So, do yourself a favor and start your Spring cleaning early!
After you’ve done decluttering and cleaning your room, be sure to add a dash of personality to it with some decoration.
5. Plan, plan, plan!
Having your room primed and ready for a study session is fantastic. You should be proud of yourself if you’ve gotten this far! But it’s not the end quite yet, the cleaning and organizing is just the foundation. As we know, it’s recommended that you study during daylight hours and some planning needs to be done to achieve this. If you have a roommate you may also have to work around their schedule or set down some a ground rule of allotted study hours to efficiently get your work done. Keeping track of reoccurring patterns in the noise level of the building is also recommended – studying during party hours could get frustrating!
So, start off with a rough copy plan to try the waters and test what works for you. From here you can work on perfecting your study schedule as time goes on – ensuring that you get the most information into your head and ace those tests!
6. In the case of a roommate …
As previously discussed, you’ll have to come to an agreement with any roommate/s you may have. Be sure to be reasonable with your requirements and give some leeway – it is college after all! Approaching your roommate in a warm and friendly way is the best method when negotiating for quiet hours. Be sure to work with their needs also, the smoother the negotiating process, the better for all involved in the long run! And of course, a calm, relaxed, and un-tense environment makes studying all that easier.
So, there you have it. It turns out that studying in the comfort of your own room may not be as big of a hindrance to your studies after all! The rumors may still be rife but I suggest you give it a go and get to cleaning and organizing as soon as possible! You’ll have your head in the books and be passing your tests in no time! Good luck!