Hey, there! How’ve you been?

Learning a language without teachers or going to a school requires a lot of discipline. Here are some useful tips to help you make great use of your time.

1. Everything’s the same
Studying at home requires a lot of self-control. Set fixed time slots for studying. For example, eating and sleeping at different times during the day could impair your performance and will take a toll on your body. Taking care of your sleep is of utmost importance: it restores synapses, that transmitter link between neurons, and improves the brain’s performanc. Eight hours of sleep a day is ideal!

2. Light, silence and action!
Where you study also needs to follow some patterns. As your brain doesn’t focus on two things at the same time, silence and simplicity help when concentrating. Good lighting prevents drowsiness. This can backfire, though. Excessive lighting inhibits the production of melatonin, the resting hormone, and can cause insomnia.

3. Limits!
Respect your limits. Concentration slows down every 50 minutes of non-stop studying. Stop for 10 minutes, go drink some water, stretch your legs, look out the window, anything that allows you to rest. If you always get up at 6 in the morning, your peak time is at 11, because the prefrontal cortex, responsible for your reasoning, reaches its peak at that time.

4. Goal policy
Our attention has a hidden agenda: it will make you think about everything you can achieve with your study – but it won’t fucus on the study itself. Therefore, set goals: know how many chapters you are going to read in how many hours. This stimulates motivation and makes planning easier.

5. Thought flow
Here’s a tip to help you with your thought flow: after your daily study period, write down on a piece of paper everything you can remember about the topic you studied and don’t think about logic or punctuation. The outcome can even be a summary for when you have a test.

6. There’s a time for everything
Don’t overdo it. Stress drains the neuron activity, causes problems in transmission and synapses don’t work as adequately. Have some fun once in a while: go to the movies, concerts, bars, date! These fun activities help you to relax and are more than welcome on the weekend!

Adapted from Super Interessante magazine, March 2012