Throughout my time in school and especially during my self study endeavors, I have always looked for ways to improve my habits. There is no shortage of tips and tricks online for how to study better or more efficiently. I have tried many different things and some have worked better than others. Today, I want to talk about one particular habit that has taken my study habits to the next level: journaling. Specifically, I have been keeping a log of when and what I study.
The problem with many of the studying strategies you find online is that they are optimized for studying in school. This means that the focus is on, to put it bluntly, cramming information in just to regurgitate it on a test. Of course, there is a time and place for this type of learning but it has different priorities and constraints than self directed learning outside of school has. In a school setting, the main priority is to pass tests and classes while also learning the material. The main constraint is time, based on deadlines and workload. Outside of school, the priority is on gaining an understanding of the material. There is normally no external accountability so the main constraint is focus. It is easy to lose focus as other aspects of life assert themselves.
Focus has often been the limiting point in my self directed studying. It was all to easy to let studying get pushed aside by other priorities, or to skip from topic to topic rather than stick with one subject. Often I was left with the feeling that I could be making so much more progress if only I could manage to better manage my focus. This is where journaling has come to the rescue for me. Logging the time I spend studying and the topics I study has allowed me to build better habits. Since I started journaling three months ago, I have not missed a single day of studying and have made remarkable progress, especially in my physics material. Facing the record provides the accountability I need to maintain my focus.
The technique is extremely simple. I took a bound, lined notebook and started recording the time I spent studying. For each day I have a series of entries which list the start and stop times for that study session (in fifteen minute increments), what I was studying (book and subject), which specific topics I covered, and optionally some short comments about the session. At the end of the day, I total up the number of hours studied and write it next to the date. On the first page of the notebook I record the total hours for each month.
Maintaining this logbook has several advantages for me. First and foremost, the pressure of not wanting to have an empty day and break my streak gives me the little push to study every day. At this point, studying has become a regular habit. Secondly, the journal provides a record of my progress. In the moment, an hour or two spent studying may not seem like a lot, but over time those hours add up. When I feel down or stuck I can look back at how far I have come and be inspired. Finally, the logbook provides hard data that I can glean insights from. I can see when my favorite times to study are, and how much time I have put into each topic, chapter, or book.
One question I had to answer for myself was, what counts as study time? Obviously, sitting down with a textbook and doing problems is studying, but what about reading a pop science book? Or writing about studying? The criteria which I ultimately settled on is that textbooks count, lectures count, and writing explicitly about the material I am studying counts. Pop science books or videos do not count as studying, even though I still love consuming them. Likewise, general writing does not count as studying time (for example, this post is not counted as study time). Naturally, if you begin your own logbook you will have to settle on your own criteria for what counts and what does not. There are also many items which walk the line. The boundary between lectures and high quality pop science videos can be blurred, especially for more advanced topics.
Truly, the benefits I’ve reaped from the simple practice of keeping a study logbook cannot be overstated. If you are looking for ways to improve your study habits then I recommend you give this strategy a try.