Why and How to Study

 Why Study—It Seems Like a Terrible

Waste of Time

Get Better Grades

The most obvious reason to study is simply to get a better grade, so you study for exams. Or in some cases, you may just want to learn more about a particular subject—perhaps for amusement purposes. So which of these options would you prefer? Some people want to  learn  how to get better grades while many people would like to know more about a subject—but that isn’t really study—or is it.Life is filled with tasks we are often compelled to do. So we may tend to dread taking the time to learn the How-To Do It part of the equation. But learning about this new subject could mean good  grades—or perhaps it would lead to recognition from your superiors … maybe even a pay raise.So let’s apply a little psychology to your approach to studying. Would it not be more pleasurable to study for amusement than it would to study for an exam? Of course it would, and any other normal human would feel the same way.

The basic idea behind study is to increase one’s knowledge of a particular subject. There are a number of ways this can be accomplished. It may entail reading textbook material. Then of course there’s the Internet, which holds limitless information on virtually every subject imaginable. And finally we may query other people, pick their brains, so that we have an overall amount of data that we can use for whatever purpose we deem necessary.
So let’s narrow this down a bit and concentrate on your preparation for an exam. Two routes of approach are evident:

1. Study to learn just enough to get a passing grade. Many of the readers of this page have that specific goal in mind. Study a little, take the test, and then move on to something that carries a little fun with it.

2. Or you can study and learn much more with the goal of earning a really good grade.

But how much is too much study. A lot of factors come into play here. Regardless if you are in high school, college or are seeking advanced degrees, what is needed is a positive mindset to achieving something better than just so, so.
In my case, I breezed through high school with minimal study. I graduated with a “B” average. College wasn’t an option for me—but that’s another story. But I did have some college in later years and it was apparent to me that had I not just spun my wheels in high school, I might be in better circumstances.

I really applied myself in my night school classes, and despite the lack of training in how to study, I finished up with good grade-point-average.

How to Study
In this part of my lecture I will give you a few study tips that worked for me and should also work for you. If you read the introductory page on this website you will note how I drew certain parallels between the human brain (and the mind it contains) and a computer. Both the brain and a computer take the data we feed them and convert it into electrical impulses. The idea of study is to refresh old memories or, as in the case of new information, create a readily accessible directory (or file folders) so that we can at a later time, pull that information back out from the gray matter.

Learn how to study. What a paradox. It seems though we have to learn how to study before we CAN study. Most of us—regardless of how much education we’ve had—were specifically taught how to study. In high school and college, students are expected to pick up the needed skills on their own.

For some learning is a talent. I believe talent is a God-given ability. You either have the talent to learn or you don’t. For the majority of people on this tired old world, the developed skills. They learned them, often through trial and error.
Skills take time to develop, and maybe for you time is a short commodity. Are there shortcuts to learning? There certainly are! But let’s digress just briefly.

For more than 30 years I’ve earned most of my living as a writer. Do I have a talent as a writer? Not that I’ve noticed. But I do believe I have developed the skills needed to convey whatever message I was trying to convey to my readers.
Most of what I’ve written has been of a technical nature. I am under contract with a major manufacturer to write technical bulletins and manuals that teach crime scene investigators how to locate, evaluate and collect physical evidence for presentation in court.

I have also written and published a novel, which is currently available from most major booksellers. My skill as a writer comes from doing just that—writing. My first published work was an article in my hometown weekly newspaper. Over time I was successful at having several articles published by national magazines.

In addition to writing the content you are reading now, I also have created over 60 other websites. I write and post many pieces on Internet article directories (also known as ezines).

But none of this would have become a reality if I had not studied this craft

So what are your intentions? What are you studying or what are you planning to study?

If you reflect any of my basic instincts and motivation, you are in a hurry. I can help with this too. 

The Motivation to Study