Second what Dekka said ... save special rewards for yourself that you ONLY get after studying. It doesn't have to be food ... it can be playing a special video game, watching a particular TV show, taking a bubble bath, whatever. The key is self-discipline -- in that you absolutely ONLY get to have/do that particular thing if you actually do your studying. Also what GO and Paige said ... more study periods in shorter sessions, rather than massive cramming the night before. You WILL retain more with more frequent repetitions, rather than one big long haul. Dekka is also
quite correct ... she posted it back to someone in the thread that not studying at all or very limited studying may work for high school ... but do NOT count on that working if you want to go on to college.
Another trick is do your short sessions right before going to sleep. Studies show that material is retained better if reviewed right before sleeping.
Be very careful with "study groups" ... too many end up more as socializing sessions than much real studying. With study groups, smaller is better.
As far as procrastination, do your best to talk yourself out of it because it
will kill your chances. (This is exactly stepson's problem ... keep telling him WE wouldn't have to be such cranks if HE were a self-starter!!) Think about it ... if you continue to procrastinate you have this "thing" hanging over your head, and you know it. To get rid of that, follow the Nike ad slogan. JUST DO IT.
Also be honest with yourself ... how much of it is "procrastination" and how much of it is just plain laziness? If it's hanging over your head and you're fretting about it but just can't seem to get yourself started ... that's procrastination. If you aren't doing it AND you are hardly thinking about it and not not much worried about it ... that's laziness.
Notecards, breaking down lessons into smaller parts, making study sheets, etc., are all great. But one trick that I find works wonders ... record your lessons! Use an MP3 player with a voice recorder ... either record yourself or have someone else read your lessons into it, then listen with the earphones when you can. (Better if you record yourself ... because Smkie is right -- "read it, write it, say it" works!!) With recorded lessons you can study ANY time ... while commuting, out walking around, in bed while falling asleep, while doing anything mindless like laundry or cleaning, etc. When you have time to sit down, listen while also following along reading at the same time ... studies show this is one of the best ways to retain the most material.
These tricks worked for me ... aced
every single class I ever took, whether high school or college, with the exception of higher math ... a subject I absolutely DESPISE, find it the most incredibly boring thing EVER, have never used or even SEEN the crap outside of a classroom, and also have problems with that subject.
(I don't believe in the concept that "everybody" "needs" higher math, i.e., intermediate algebra and above. Everybody
doesn't "need" it ... unless in a few specialized fields, few will ever even see it again outside of the classroom in which they were forced to take it.
It's also currently completely ruining the Los Angeles public school system .... since they started requiring intermediate algebra for ALL high school students a couple years ago, as a condition of graduation ... there's now a drop-out rate of nearly 60% in the L.A. school district ... with the greatest rise
directly attributable to the intermediate algebra requirement. It's a horrible shame and completely unnecessary. What is the city going to do with all those high school drop outs? They have no answers, but won't simply drop their still fairly new algebra requirement. It's insane.)
Whether high school or college, acing classes IS often more than about JUST studying though ... especially reading-heavy and writing-heavy college classes!!
