How to Study for Long Hours-10 Easy and Impactful Ways!

If you are someone who wants to study for long hours but gets tired or bored eventually, just after a few hours, then this article can be your aid to do so.

We have known tough study routines that seem fascinating but seem unreal in practice. So, what do you do?

Well, some strategic moves and practices that are engaging and powerful could help. 

This would prevent you from falling back into unwanted sleep and distracted study sessions.

Read the following 10 ways to learn how to study for long hours without feeling burnt out and also remembering the content intact.

How to Study for Long Hours – 10 Best Ways

Here are the best possible ways to find a pathway where you study for longer hours without giving up on your sleep schedule.

1. Understand That Long Hours Are Built, Not Forced

It is one of the greatest mistakes to suddenly force students to study for 8-10 hours straight in a day. 

This tends to cause mental exhaustion, boredom, frustration and burnouts. Long-term studying is a discipline that should be developed with time.

Learners can begin by learning in shorter, yet more concentrated sessions (60-90 minutes at a time). 

When you are comfortable with this time-period, then you can slowly extend your studying time. 

You just need to think of it as a muscle. Trying to train it too strenuously could cause fatigue, whereas a gradual increase would result in stamina.

It is not the intensity that is important, but consistency. 

You can increase your study time by approximately 30 minutes per week, and see a big difference in the amount of time you can study in the future.

2. Create a Clear Study Plan Before You Start

Failing to plan your studies can be a waste of time and can be very frustrating. 

This is the first step before you start. Be clear of what you want to study, the time you will take studying it, and what you expect to get as a result of your studies.

Divide your syllabus into actionable parts, and allot each topic enough time to complete and revise. 

This will decrease the possibility of feeling overwhelmed at the end of the course, and will enable your brain to remain concentrated on one task at a time.

It is also easy to remain motivated when you have a clear study plan that can give you your desired results.

3. Design a Study Environment That Supports Focus

The environment significantly contributes to the length of study sessions and the quality of the studies. 

So, select a quiet and well-lit place that has minimum distractions. 

Your desk should only have your necessary study supplies, and your phone or other unnecessary devices should be kept away. 

When you can, use the same place of study daily. This conditions your brain to think that place is where you are going to work and be productive.

It is also especially important to sit well and have a comfortable chair because when you feel bad physically, your study stamina might get reduced.

4. Use Active Study Techniques Instead of Passive Reading 

Repeated reading of textbooks can be tiring and is at times inefficient. 

Studying methods that involve imagination, put your brain at work, and keeps you active over extended periods of time.

Some effective methods for an active study can include making your own creative notes, explaining what you have read to another individual, solving practice questions, and drawing mind maps or flash cards.

Reviewing the learnt topics at the end of each session can also benefit largely.

Active learning enhances understanding and memory, making the long study sessions more effective.

5. Take Strategic Breaks 

Constantly studying for hours, without rest, may lower cognitive ability and performance. 

Taking strategic breaks also refreshes your mind and will not allow burnout.

The Pomodoro Technique is one such technique that is very popular to study for 25 minutes followed by a 5-10 minute break. 

After following the same pattern for 3-4 sessions, you can have a 20-30 minute break.

Even on breaks, you should not do anything that can hyper-stimulate your brain, like social media. 

Rather, stretch, walk, drink water, or just rest your eyes. Having breaks properly enables you to learn more without getting tired.

6. Fuel Your Brain with Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Long studying hours require your brain to have sufficient energy for functioning effectively. 

Missing meals, having junk food, or just being dehydrated may leave you feeling sleepy and irritated.

That’s why you should consume healthy foods containing fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, nuts, and proteins. 

Sometimes snacks like dried fruits, yogurt, or nuts can be helpful to sustain energy while studying for long hours.

It is also necessary to drink lots of water. Mental clarity and concentration might get impaired even by mild dehydration. 

Keep a bottle close to your desk when you are studying, and ensure to drink at least 2-3 litres of water in a day.

7. Train Your Mind to Handle Discomfort

Spending long hours studying is not always comfortable. You will have those times when you will be restless, bored, or even mentally exhausted. 

You should learn to tolerate slight discomfort without feeling overwhelmed.

This does not mean neglecting your health and studying under pressure. 

Rather, it has to do with the acknowledgment of a distinction between tiredness and an actual burnout.

You can first focus on sitting for longer hours and slowly raise your tolerance capacity for studying.

8. Set Clear Goals and Reward Progress

Your studies have direction and meaning when you have goals. 

So, make goals like you would complete two chapters and solve 20 questions, instead of fixing the number of hours you would study.

After this, it is really important to treat yourself with something small when you reach your set goals. Whether it’s listening to music, watching a single episode of a show, or having some time for a hobby. 

Rewards make good habits more powerful and make studying for long hours feel easier.

Creating room for improvement also creates self-confidence and encourages you to go on.

9. Get Enough Sleep and Respect Your Limits

Several students attempt to study more at the expense of sleep, yet this can lead to harmful effects. 

Sleep deprivation impairs memory and concentration. Therefore, you should first know how many hours of sleep is enough for a student .

Sleep well at the end of the day, so that your brain is able to process and store what you have learnt. 

Good sleep enables you to study more efficiently within a shorter time and also boosts your concentration power.

It is always good to study smarter rather than study longer while being tired.

10. Stay Consistent Rather Than Extreme

Studying 10 hours for one day and then studying nothing on the next one, won’t help much. Instead, you can try to study for 3-4 hours each day and stay consistent.

Discipline is created through consistency. This reduces study-stress levels and there is an enhanced retention in the long run.

Establish a habit of studying regularly, having breaks, having meals, and sleeping. 

This gets adjusted in the course of time which makes it natural and even easier than before to study for long hours.

To Conclude

Every student who is serious about achieving something academically wants to study for long hours.

But, in the process they often lose the track of their study timetable and sleeping routine, which can negatively impact their health and studies as well.

If you are someone who doesn’t know how to study for long hours, you can utilize the above mentioned ways to gain back your confidence in studying.

You just have to stay consistent and fuel your brain well with nutrients and sleep, so that it works for you and not against you.

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