Best Study Habits To Work On Your Passion Projects
You might know a really ‘smart’ person who aced their exams and did the hardest courses in college/ uni. But they don’t really know what’s going on in the world.
Or apart from academics/ work they don’t really enjoy anything else.
This person might even be you.
There are others who didn’t excel in academics but does that mean they’re not smart?
Intelligence comes in many forms – whether it’s being book smart, street smart, having emotional intelligence and more.
Every single person has a strength.
As well as doing well in academics, it is important to learn new things outside of it too.
Once you begin working, life can sometimes seem robotic. Mundane even. Work, eat, sleep, repeat.
But it shouldn’t be like that. Every moment in life is an opportunity to grow.
Here are some of the best study habits you can use if you want to pick up a hobby or learn something new.
This can be applied to anything – from starting a small business to learning how to ice skate. Choose the best ‘study’ habits you find relevant to your goal and apply them to your routine (personally, I think you can use them all for any hobby!)
Best study habits to work on your hobbies/ passion projects
Repetition
When you repeat what you have studied, the brain creates new pathways to help you retain the information.
Therefore, repeating what you have learnt is one of the best study habits to introduce into your routine.
How to apply to your hobby:
If you’re learning a new language, for example, practicing your vocabulary often will help you remember it.
Create a routine
Having a routine increases the likelihood of you working on this new hobby.
If you look at your current routine right now – one of the first things you think about doing when you wake up in the morning is brushing your teeth. This is because you have gotten used to this habit after you repeated the action many times as a child. You might even look forward to doing the habit.
Similarly, assign a day and time to working on your hobby so that you get in the habit of doing it.
How to apply to your hobby:
If you want to learn how to play tennis, you can sign up to a weekly class. Or if you want to get better at painting, you could assign Friday evenings after work as your time to work on it.
Related:
Ideas For Self Care (THAT ACTUALLY WORK!!)
Creative Hobbies For Adults That Will Take You Back To Your Childhood!
Ask for help
If the hobby/ passion you are working on is quite complex, one of the best study habits you can get into is to be open to help/ advice/ feedback.
If you’re an independent worker, this can be quite difficult as you’re used to doing everything yourself. But fresh perspectives and advice from those with more experience will help you grow faster and more efficiently.
It also makes the learning process more enjoyable as you have someone to exchange ideas with.
How to apply:
Starting a small business – if you know someone who has already done this, or has business skills, it might be useful to have a chat with them so you know you’re moving in the right direction.
Creative writing – sometimes getting a second opinion helps you to see things you may not have noticed. In this case, asking for feedback on a key scene in your story would help you develop your writing skills.
Find out your learning style
What kind of learner are you?
Are you a note-taker or more of a practical person?
Do you like working alone or with others?
Do you prefer colours/ graphs/ pictures or plain text?
Is it more useful for you to listen to something or read it?
Think about all the times you studied well. What did you do that helped you learn new information?
Even during the times where you had to complete something last minute, what did you do to achieve it?
It is quite useful to observe the things you do during these times too as due to the time constraints; you tend to focus on getting the most important things done and avoid wasting time.
How to apply
If you’re learning how to cook, it might be easier for you to follow along with the chef rather than read from a recipe book.
Now you know that your learning style for this hobby is to watch and listen, rather than read.
Put your entire focus on it
Treat working on your hobby as seriously as you would do with any other task.
Remove distractions and devote yourself solely to it when you are working on it.
Progress happens with concentration.
Break the task up into smaller bits
It can be overwhelming to start something that is comprised of so many parts. You probably won’t know where to begin.
If you were learning a new language, for example, there are so many things to learn about. Grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing etc.
Therefore, breaking up your passion/ hobby into manageable chunks will help you study better. You could do 10 minutes of vocab practice a day, and use Sunday morning to practice writing.
Whatever the case, have a plan. As I said before, you should be taking this as seriously as work!
When I mean ‘seriously’ I don’t mean to literally treat it like work but to give importance to it like you would with something at work.
Because at the end of the day, it will better you! Your self-improvement is just as, if not more, important than your duties at work.
Make use of free resources
You will find so many people selling you things that will ‘make you better’ or ‘change your life’ but when you’ve actually bought it, it wasn’t that life-changing after all.
Only buy from those where you have seen their work beforehand and have built a level of ‘trust’ that this person is legit.
But apart from that, use YouTube videos, library books, museums, galleries, free lectures as free resources for self-development!
There is so much useful information to be found in these spaces.
How to apply:
If you want to learn more about your religion, head to the library and check out some books or watch lectures on YouTube.
Have a study buddy/ group
This will help you stay accountable as you have someone else doing the same thing as you too, and you wouldn’t want to let them down.
This also makes studying more enjoyable. You could even try out new cafes in the process or head outdoors to work on your passion projects together!
Teaching others new information you have learnt is a great way to consolidate your learning as you have to summarize it in a clear and concise way when teaching them something new.
How to apply
For all those wanting to prioritise their self-care/ self-love needs more, host a monthly vision board making session with your friends.
Don’t rush
Your current perception of studying might be from school where you were forced to learn about things you frankly didn’t care about.
Learning/ studying can be fun especially when it’s about something you are passionate about. Don’t rush and use the experience as an identity-building task and overcome challenges as they come.
There is something called ‘desirable difficulty,’ this means learning something that is within your means of understanding.
For example, if you’re learning a new sport, practicing with an expert would be too hard and frustrating. Practicing with someone who is way below your skill level, like a child, isn’t satisfying and won’t help you get better.
What you need to do is practice with someone on your level or just slightly above so that the learning process is satisfying, challenging and allows you to learn and grow.
Track your progress
Create an excel spreadsheet or tracker to track your progress.
This will help you stay accountable and give you boosts of energy to continue as you have a visual track of your progress!
It’s also a great way to identify things you need to work on which means you can tweak your routine if need be.
Increase the frequency of study the more complex it gets
As you get more skilled in your passion/ hobby, increase the time you work on it, especially if it becomes more complex.
At the beginning, take it slow and easy to avoid getting overwhelmed. But once you have gotten a hang of things, go deeper and exert yourself in your studies a bit more.
Set mini goals
Having a set of mini goals leading to a larger goal as opposed to working towards just one goal is a great way to stay motivated.
The more mini goals you accomplish, the more excited you will be when you work towards the next mini goal. It makes the process a lot more enjoyable too, which is most important.
How to apply
If your goal is to journal more frequently, try out some challenges such as five-minute journaling, or writing five good things about your day and five things that could be better.
Eventually, as you get used to the routine, you might want to start writing more.
Take care of your health
Taking care of your physical and mental health is one of the simplest yet best study habits.
Having a good amount of sleep allows time for the brain to process the new information, and exercise fights fatigue and gives you more energy.
Keeping your desk clear and work environment tidy also will help you stay more organised and focussed.
Review your notes
To retain new information, review your notes straight after your session.
Jot down a couple of bullet points to summarise what you have learnt to make it easier to refer back to if you need it later.
Take breaks
Regular breaks will keep you refreshed and avoid burnout. Take your time and don’t force yourself to learn a mass of information at once.
If you find it hard to get stuck into the work, try techniques like the pomodoro technique, five-minute rule and others.
Posts on time management:
How To Plan Your Day to Prioritise YOURSELF
Start A Good Habit Using The Habit Loop
How To Plan A Daily Schedule To Free Up Your Day
Remove distractions
If you know your phone distracts you, leave it on the other side of the room or in another room altogether.
If working on your bed makes you tired, sit on a table and study.
If you can’t find a quiet space in the living room, go to your room, or head out to the local library.
Remove distractions so that you can give your all to this passion of yours.
Push yourself
Once you have gotten used to the routine of working on your passion/ hobby and have become somewhat ‘good’ at it, push yourself even more.
Think out of the box and explore the possibilities. If your hobby is to paint, pushing yourself might include using a different medium of painting such as gouache or watercolour.
For video editing, it could be downloading new software to try out.
Be disciplined
When motivation grows thin, it is discipline that will push you further and further.
Create a plan to follow and stick to it. Include mini goals along the way so that your motivation levels stay high.
Be disciplined with your craft and be consistent.
Keep trying
Even if you miss a week or two of working on your passion or you’re not progressing as quickly as you want, keep trying.
At the end of the day, this ‘studying’ is for your self-enrichment, growth and happiness! Even if you’re not ‘progressing,’ it is more important that you enjoy it.
Keep learning and never stop!
Push yourself to learn more and more about what interests you.
There is so much out there to be discovered and learned. Education helps you grow, and become a more sensitive and well-rounded person.
I truly believe learning is the key to success. The more you learn, the more you understand others, and the better the world becomes.
Key Takeaways – Best Study Habits To Work On Your Passion Projects
- Repetition
- Create a routine
- Ask for help
- Find out your learning style
- Put your entire focus in it
- Break the task up
- Make use of free resources
- Have a study buddy/ group
- Don’t rush
- Track your progress
- Increase the frequency of study the more complex it gets
- Set mini goals
- Take care of your health
- Take breaks
- Remove distractions
- Push yourself
- Be disciplined
- Keep trying
- Keep learning and never stop
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