8 great tips to optimize studying effectively at home

Studying can feel like torture. It can feel like being waterboarded with knowledge. And, while that is a fair summary, studying is a skill you can learn to hone. However, people often develop poor study habits. Learning how to study effectively at home for exams is crucial. Not only is it a valuable skill for your whole life, but it can provide endless opportunities.
 
By learning how to study at home without getting distracted, you’re learning how to create your own destiny. And, at OMOTON, that’s exactly what we strive to do: we empower you to control and determine your success. That’s precisely why searching for new tips for studying effectively at home during COVID-19 should be of the utmost importance.
 
But have no fear: with OMOTON, the future will become putty in your hands.
 
So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’ve consolidated the absolute most effective ways to learn how to study effectively at home for long hours. We’ve made it easy because we know you have enough on your plate. We cover everything from the food you consume to alternate study methods and even handy ergonomic laptop stands.

4 tips for effectively studying from home during COVID

1. Maintain a healthy diet 

To truly optimize studying from home during COVID, it’s critical you maintain a healthy diet. The food you eat is your fuel, and what you consume can dictate your personal success. Also, when you’re hungry and your stomach’s growling, it’s easy to become distracted.
 
While it may seem minor, a growling stomach can seriously impede how well you process and retain information. Even more importantly, what you eat has major implications on how much energy you have and how much you’re able to concentrate.
 
It’s also vital to ensure you eat enough when you’re burning the midnight oil. Remember, omitting food groups from your diet can cause nutritional deficiencies.
 
This is particularly bad with B vitamins, which are crucial for energy release. In general, you should eat complex carbohydrates, protein, and plenty of fruits and vegetables daily. Fish oil supplements are also particularly good for mental health and concentration.

2. Get your eight hours

It’s easy to think studying as much as possible is the surest way to obtain top marks. Oftentimes, when people fall into this trap, they’re more than willing to forego sleep to put in as many hours as possible. However, this tactic is nothing but shooting yourself in the foot.

Particularly if you are considering how to prepare efficiently at home for examinations that are quickly approaching, it’s easy to hit the panic button and simply accept that you won’t sleep for a prolonged period of time. But getting eight hours of sleep every night isn’t a luxury.
 
Getting a full night of sleep is a necessity.
 
It’s far more beneficial for you to get a full night’s rest than to stay up cramming all night. There are scientifically proven benefits. Getting sufficient sleep improves memory, which means you can retain and recall vital information to get better examination results.
 
According to a Harvard study, when you fail to get sufficient sleep, your focus, attention, and vigilance are severely compromised. This makes it inordinately more difficult to retain and process the information when you’re poring over material.
 
Even worst, it makes it hard during exams to access the information you learned. This is nothing short of a detriment to your success. Cramming all night to study for a test has the inverse effect, and ultimately, it renders the time you spent studying wasted.

3. Designate a study space

Everything needs a place. And your studying is no different. It doesn’t matter if it’s the kitchen table or desk in your bedroom, find a comfortable place that’s conducive to concentration, and use it regularly. Consistency is key to cultivating an ideal habit.
 
Avoid studying in your bed or other places you relax. It’s important to understand how everything impacts your concentration, from the light outside to the artificial light in your office.
 
Smart lights are recommended to optimize concentration, but it’s also important to know how different colored lights factor in. This allows you to calibrate your environment to be perfectly oriented to you and your goals.
 
However, remember to keep your space tidy and organized. A disorganized space is disruptive and distracting, which makes it difficult to focus.
 
Some of the best tips for studying effectively require investing in premium equipment. Particularly when studying for long periods of time, we highly recommend an ergonomic laptop stand, like OMOTON's adjustable laptop stand.  It's unrivaled and supremely affordable.
 
When working from home on your laptop, ergonomics are crucial to account for in your workspace. If you fail to orient your workspace ergonomically, this can cause chronic pain.
 
Chronic pain is distracting and obstructs concentration. In extreme cases, it can severely limit how much time you can actually devote to studying altogether. That’s precisely why an adjustable laptop stand that’s portable is so crucial.
 
With 6 different height options and limitless angle possibilities, this tool forces your work environment to adapt to you. Even better, its cooling function and durable construction ensures it’ll last a long time and prevent your laptop from overheating, thus extending its lifespan.

4. Study actively

For those wondering how to study at home without getting distracted, the answer is simple: study actively.
 
Ensuring you’re actively studying requires effort. You should be recontextualizing and reevaluating what you’re learning throughout the entire process. Before you even start, think about what you’re going to be learning, what you expect to cover, and what you already know.
 
While you study, consider how you’re learning relates to other subjects and relevant topics, and assess how it relates to the bigger picture. Try paraphrasing what you’re learning so it’s clear, and write down keywords and ideas that seem significant or are unclear.
 
If you have the opportunity, it’s highly advisable to document all questions and bring the most pertinent ones to your professor or teacher for explanation. After you study, spend time contemplating what you learned and what you’ll be covering next.
 
Applying what you learned to your life whenever possible is an excellent way to cement the information in your memory. According to research actively manipulating information to better understand it is one of the leading alternative ways of learning when studying from home.

5. Establish a schedule 

Establishing a schedule ranks among the most essential tips for studying at home during COVID. There are many benefits a schedule provides. Firstly, you can organize all your breaks, meals, and snacks to transform your process into a well-oiled machine.
 
Particularly when you have multiple subjects to study for, compartmentalizing your time is highly recommended. Also, you can choose the optimal time to study when devising a schedule. Everyone is different, and it’s important to understand when you’re most alert and focused.
 
Another great aspect of schedules is they make you a more efficient learner and ensure you optimize time and energy allocation. By setting limits and using things like a timer, you can establish clear parameters.
 
It’s proven by research that timers immediately elicit focus on tasks and ensure you keep a productive pace. They even encourage you to exceed what you did before, which means you’ll see constant improvement. You are your greatest competition.

Now that you know the best tips for studying…

...use them already! Your personal success and prosperity are hinged on it. Luckily, with OMOTON, we understand what’s at stake and the gravity of the situation. Just follow our roadmap and you’ll certainly find what you’re looking for.
 
Most importantly, the OMOTON stand  is in a league of its own. For the sake of your health during long study sessions don't forget about ergonomics, they are essential for neck and spine health. OMOTON's adjustable laptop stands are made with your health in mind.
 
So happy studying! Keep your nose in the books and to the grindstone.
 
And remember: studying now means succeeding later.