Claudia Edwards

Plan forward from exam dates, not vibes. Three study blocks a day is fantasy for most, so hit one short morning recall and one solid evening grind, then stop. Until exam one, 60 percent to that subject with a practice test at T minus 3 and a light taper the day before. After it, flip to 80 percent on the remaining subject and repeat the same cadence. If you are mixing topics, a five minute reset walk between subjects saves you from turning Louis XIV into a limit problem.

Hi Cali. Make distractions expensive and focus easy. Before you start, set your phone to Do Not Disturb and put it in another room or a closed drawer. If you use an iPhone, go to Settings > Focus > add a Study focus, allow only Clock and Calculator, and set a schedule for your study block. On Windows 11, open the Clock app and start a Focus session for 25 minutes, which also mutes notifications. Clear your desk to only the book, one pen, and a pad of paper so the next action is obvious. During the session, use a capture sheet: every stray thought gets written down with a quick keyword, then straight back to the page. Work in short sprints of 25 minutes on and 5 off, and during the 5 use your snack reward or a quick stretch. Study actively so your brain has less room to wander, for example read one page then cover it and write two key points or answer a self-made question. If starting feels hard, tell yourself two minutes only and begin reading the first paragraph or one problem. momentum usually carries you. If a distraction wins, do a hard reset by standing up, taking one slow breath, and restarting the timer rather than negotiating with it.

Groups help for accountability and explaining concepts out loud. I do most of the heavy reading and problem sets solo, then squeeze a tight 60–90 minute group between shifts to teach each other and compare methods, and patch gaps. Keep groups small, set an agenda, and leave with a list to review alone.

Do not pay for any study platform. Build spaced repetition with index cards or a simple spreadsheet and a kitchen timer, and add questions you miss from homework and past exams. Read a chunk, make five cards, test until you can pull them cold, then move them to a three and seven day box. Figure an hour to read and make cards, then 10 to 15 minutes per scheduled review.