1. The lucky draw way

This is a really cool way of studying that I love. All you have to do is write all your targets for the day on slips of paper. Add treats on two other slips of paper like “One video” or “Have a snack”, etc. Fold the pieces of paper and put them in bowl.

Draw out a slip of paper and do the task on it. Continue the process until you have drawn all the slips and done all the tasks. This will make you hurry up and finish the job as you will be wanting to draw the slips of paper with the treat on them.

1. The ‘draw it’ way

Drawing helps you retain information faster, especially in history. If you don’t want to waste paper, you can draw on a white or black board (even your school notebooks’ plastic cover works!)

1. The chocolate way

This way is perfect, especially for reading in general. You can place pieces of chocolates after a paragraph or so, and pick them up as you read! But it can also be done by telling yourself that you will ‘earn’ a chocolate after reading a certain number of pages, learning a particular chapter or doing a certain number of maths problems.

1. The ‘word to word’ way

Ok, so this might sound stupid but it is not. When you are learning answers to questions, make them into points. Choose a word to represent each point, for instance, population, urban area money. Then use the initials of the words to create another word, in my case ‘pum’. Learn the word instead!

1. The chewing gum way

It is said that if you chew the same flavour of gum while studying for your exams and while giving them, it helps you to recall your memory. The flavour of the gum forms an association with what you are learning, making it easier to recall it when you chew the same flavour again.

Also, chewing gum is considered to reduce stress and anxiety, making a learning task seem easier. In simpler terms, chewing gum wakes up your brain and allows you to concentrate and focus. So it is not a bad idea to pop a piece of gum in your mouth when you get to the end of the test or exam, since it will get your brain pumping again. But don’t do that if you are not allowed to chew gum in school.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 25th, 2017