The Weekly Tutorial: Study Skills re-visted

Day 1 of 4: the basics

Whether it’s for your MBA, or whether you have just decided to get serious about your learning, decide to sharpen your study skills. Unless you were very lucky they were probably not taught at school, nor college nor university.

Day 1. The Basics.
Create a study area which is attractive to learning. If you are fortunate enough to have your own study, invest in the best ergonomic chair that you can, sort out storage and clear the desk area. If you have to manage with the corner of the kitchen, perhaps invest in a trolley that you can wheel-in when you need to settle down to your Open University course and put alongside the kitchen table. Whatever you do, make it easy to study.

Work hard on ensuring you study when you are alert and refreshed. If you are a full-time MBA have some nights off without alcohol so that your brain can get into a great state. Get a few nights with early bed for plenty of sleep. If you are a part-timer, don’t allow your family to drain all your best energy. Maybe get up before the family is around and do 45 minutes of work then rather than at the end of an (exhausting) day.

More tomorrow.

*Each week, Monday to Thursday at 0800. Coming up in October/November:
w/c 16 October: How to get the job/career you want. How to approach/search proactively.
w/c 23 October: Start-up! How to start a small, premium consultancy.
w/c 30 October: Brain development. How to think smarter and more creatively.
w/c 6 November: Work/Life Balance. Is it possible? Yes!
W/c 13 November: How to Get your Book Started. Now.