how much studying is too much studying?

im in yr 12 & ive spent the past school year overstudying. i started off by studying at literally every spare moment i have (probably 9 to 10 hours if im being honest) then i started studying 8 to hours a day. and honestly? my grades werent that great. they were horrible at first (like 42% or so) & then they started getting somewhat decent overall (like 80 to 90%) but they still fluctuated sometimes.

its currently exam szn and now I can barely study for more than 4 hrs. today I did 2 hrs and a half & my brain already feels exhausted and like its at its limit. im starting to feel the long term burnout kick in.

point of this thread is literally just. how much studying is enough studying? what have i be doing wrong? how come my other friends dont study half as much as i do but still do way better than me?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

It really depends on a lot of factors. How are you revising? Is it active rather than passive?

For me I have found that I work best in 90 minute intervals with a break of around 15 minutes in-between. I aim to get 3 of these in a day and I started doing this because I heard about research suggesting this is the most efficient way to practice for anything, seems to work well but I often don't do the whole thing and end up only doing a couple of hours. Seems like you have been very dedicated though so maybe it would work entirely for you, 90 minutes is typically how long the average person can focus on one task.

Personally I would absolutely never go over 5 hours a day, I have heard a few people say they do like 6 hours straight a day but that is absolutely unobtainable for me I would definitely burn out.

Try not to compare yourself to your friends either, they are different people. And a lot of people I know definitely do more work than they put across to people. As you're in year 12 you have time to figure things out still, I'd suggest doing 90 minute intervals and see if it helps your productivity

Reply 2

Omwengavictor

2

Original post by Anonymous

im in yr 12 & ive spent the past school year overstudying. i started off by studying at literally every spare moment i have (probably 9 to 10 hours if im being honest) then i started studying 8 to hours a day. and honestly? my grades werent that great. they were horrible at first (like 42% or so) & then they started getting somewhat decent overall (like 80 to 90%) but they still fluctuated sometimes.

its currently exam szn and now I can barely study for more than 4 hrs. today I did 2 hrs and a half & my brain already feels exhausted and like its at its limit. im starting to feel the long term burnout kick in.

point of this thread is literally just. how much studying is enough studying? what have i be doing wrong? how come my other friends dont study half as much as i do but still do way better than me?

It's crucial to recognize that academic success is not solely determined by the amount of time you spend studying. While dedication and hard work are important, it's equally essential to find a balance and avoid overexertion. Sometimes, studying for excessive hours can lead to diminishing returns and even burnout, which can negatively impact your performance in the long run.

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Omwengavictor

It's crucial to recognize that academic success is not solely determined by the amount of time you spend studying. While dedication and hard work are important, it's equally essential to find a balance and avoid overexertion. Sometimes, studying for excessive hours can lead to diminishing returns and even burnout, which can negatively impact your performance in the long run.

the way you wrote that sounds like an economics essay evaluation. thx 4 input tho

Reply 4

Arctic Kitten

21

Not just the amount but the quality of your study session matters too. You shouldn't study for more than 8 hours a day, because above that point your brain quite literally cannot take in any info. Answer these questions before you start studying:

- How long will this study session be? (Between 30min - 2h is the best) Can I do it uninterrupted? Clear all distraction from your sight.

- What part am I studying? What larger section this part belong to? What connect it to the other part? (For example, Stark effect belong to Electric phenomenon, and it is analogous to Zeeman effect which is a Magnetic phenomenon. )

- Why am I studying this? Do I completely have 0 idea, am weak at this part, or just perfecting the skills? At the end of the study, what should I achieve?

- How much should I study and by which method? What do I prioritise now? Practice what I'm good at or learn what I'm bad at?

- Separate what you need to learn into active and passive categories. Stuff in the passive category is usually harder to motivate yourself to learn, so make it active. And always understand where you are in the study road map.

- Set a bare minimum goal that you must absolutely reach even if you are tired af, a realistic goal that you can achieve studying normally, and a "Today I'm a hero!" Goal that you can reach if you tried your best.

- Stop every time you reach a goal, and ask yourself "Am I doing great? Should I try more, or it is time to move on to a different thing?" How is your study session quality so far? If it's good, why? Reinforce that feeling (mum said she's proud of me which boost my motivation, so let's repeat that scene 100 times in my brain!). If it's bad, why? What can you do to improve it? Is it so bad you want to stop today session? Would study something more lighthearted and fun help?

- Don't beat yourself up if you decide to stop, but don't let yourself off the hook all the time. Understand the consequences: my goals for today is to understand A, and because I skip, I won't understand A. You won't fail your exam, or lose to your friend, just because you skip today study. But you won't understand A, and if it keeps up, you won't understand B and C too. A might not be fun, or even important, but it is a part of your study and a bridge to your future, so let's give A the time it deserves tomorrow.

Don't revise blindly. You must understand what, why, and how you're doing. It's long to type out but it's only take minutes if not mere seconds to answer all these questions. Do it every hour you're studying, because your priority changes as you learn (eg this is too easy/ too hard compared to plans).

Some days I can study 10 hours a day and feel perfectly happy and healthy while doing it (of course, fatigue will hit immediately when I'm done). Other days, 2h is a stretch, but that's ok. It's all about setting the correct expectation, laid out all the steps, determine to finish your goals, and be proud of the results even if it's small.