If You Are Finding it Hard to Study Try 1 of These 10 Tips

One of the most daunting tasks for any nursing student is opening those massive textbooks, materials or slides early in the morning, after a long day on the ward or a draining lecture. The struggle to start is real, but if you can overcome that initial delay, chances are high that you will complete the task or material in no time. This article contains 10 of the tips I have personally seen work for nursing and midwifery students in different situations, including my personal experiences.

Make It Ridiculously Easy to Start

Telling yourself “I need to read ‘Medical-Surgical Nursing'” is a sure way to feel overwhelmed. Instead, be specific. Write down a small-scale checklist: “Read first 5 pages of Renal Physiology,” “Memorize 5 key drugs for hypertension,” or “Watch one 10-minute video on ECG interpretation.” When the step is that clear, your brain finds it easier to just begin, just like you follow a specific protocol for a patient. The key is to first have a clarity on what you want to do, then you can just start doing it.

Start Ridiculously Small

The volume of information to study can be paralyzing. So, commit to a very tiny part first. Try one of the following;

• a. Use the 10-minute rule: decide to review the material or topic for 10 minutes, during the period, scan through the subtopics. For example, if you need to study a material on drug dosages, spend a fraction of your 10 minutes to learn 1 of the formulas.
• b. Open ChatGPT, Google or Any AI App and search for the topic you want to study. If it is chat GPT, copy and paste this prompt, “I am having a brief study session of Medical Surgical Nursing, give me a brief note on Appendicitis. At the end give me 5 questions to review, add the answers and explanation to the questions.” The prompt can be optimized in many ways, the goal is to do actionable learning in just 10 mins.
• c. Goto Youtube and type the topic, watch 1 or 2 videos about the topic.

You can even do this from your bed. If you are with pen and paper, jot down anything interesting or take a screenshot.

Often, just starting creates the momentum to continue, turning 10 minutes into a solid 45-minute session.

Create Your Study Environment

Your environment is very important – remember Nightingale’s theory?. If you’re slumped on the sofa, bed, or your dark room, your brain is in relaxation mode. Set up a dedicated study space with your textbooks, and a pen. Have your snacks and water ready, ensure adequate lighting, take your bath. This ritual, much like preparing your tray or trolley before a procedure, signals to your brain that it’s time to shift into focus mode and eliminates excuses to get up later.

Change Your Environment

If your room isn’t working, the entire school campus or area is your potential study space. Go to the school library, find a quiet corner in the clinical skills lab, or sit in an empty lecture hall. The change of scenery can jolt your brain into gear, and being in an academic setting reinforces the need to study. Another thing you can do it to take a walk around, this stimulates your brain off some stress which may be holding you down from starting, if you noticed you are calm, open the material on the road if you can, and start studying, or start when you are done with the walk. This works like magic especially at night, thank me later.

Do Some Other Small Tasks

At times, things can be so overwhelming that even though you feel bad for not studying, you cannot even start, maybe you just got a fatigue from scrolling social media for hours, or you are tired then resort to social media as an escape. It is normal. So, if you cannot start studying right away, build momentum another way. Do some other things in your area. Here are some examples:

• a. Clean your room
• b. Do your laundry or dishes
• c. If you are stressed from a posting day, sleep for some minutes or hours.
• d. Although cooking takes time, some people says it is therapeutic, cook a meal.
• e. Take a walk doing nothing, just walking, 10-15 mins.
• f. A catch? you can play an audio note of the lecture while doing some of the tasks above. Win win right?

The sense of achievement from other small tasks can give you the motivation needed to start the big study or work session.

Remove Distractions

As good as your phone is, social media can easily steal the precious time you need to rest and study. You don’t need to delete your apps, but make them hard to access during study time. Put your phone in your bag, use a focus app to block social media for a set period, or leave it in another room. That small barrier is often enough to keep you on track with your notes.

Whatever your distraction is, identify, make peace with it, and remove it

Use The Pomodoro Technique

This method is perfect for mastering dense nursing materials. Study with full focus for 25 minutes—maybe to understand a portion of the material then take a strict 5-10 minute break to stretch, get water, urinate or just close your eyes.

Before you start, scroll through the whole material to the end, it gives you a mental picture of the material and where you will be taking breaks.

These short, focused breaks are sustainable and prevent burnout, making long study sessions less stressful.

Make The Work Fun To Do

Studying doesn’t have to be a silent, solitary chore. Use colourful pens to draw out the important parts of the material. Play a background music, study while standing or moving, use funny mnemonics. In fact, as I am writing this article, I am watching a Youtube video on “Think Faster, Talk Smarter with Matt Abrahams.” If you are not a multi tasker, find your own fun way.

Make it more active: Explain the steps of a procedure like you’re teaching a junior student. Form a small study group to debate the best nursing interventions for a case study. Turn memorizing drug side effects into a song or a rhyme. This active engagement makes complex topics stick.

Surround Yourself With Others Doing What You Want to Do

There is a powerful motivation in shared struggle. Go to the library and sit among other nursing students who are also grinding – one nice thing? Our Library has AC and Free Internet, nice innit?. The silent peer pressure works wonders. Or, form a dedicated study group where you can share the load, quiz each other, and keep one another accountable, just as you would in a clinical team.

Remind Yourself Your Why and The Consequences of Not Studying

When motivation is at its lowest, go back to your “why.” Remember the patient whose life you will save because you knew the right action, the license you are working towards, the nurse you aspire to be. Then, weight it against the consequence of not studying — the failed exam, stress of writing a resit, the delayed graduation, the knowledge gap that could risk a patient’s safety. When you see it that clearly, giving up is not an option.

Remember, in nursing, a little consistent study is always better than no study at all. Do not let the pursuit of a perfect 4-hour session stop you from a 15-minute review of vital signs. It is okay to take a rest when you are exhausted from clinical postings; sleep, recharge, and then continue. The goal is to keep moving forward, one step at a time, just like you do with patient care.

Which of these tips have you tried on your nursing journey? And which one will you be trying during your next study block? Let me know in the comment section, or send me a message on WhatsApp, let’s discuss.

Read this too: 5 Ways to Improve Memory While Studying

We hope this has been helpful to you. Keep pushing; your success as a professional nurse is certain.

© Your Academic Partner, A. A. Badmus.