I've somewhat begun to understand how my slight obsessive-compulsive-like behaviour has actually been helping me with my studies. I know that actual OCD is not a joke, and I've heard stories about people with this disorder doing crazy things, and not to belittle the problem, but I've always said that I thought I exhibit behaviours that could be described as obsessive-compulsive. Or maybe more like OCPD instead. I don't know... I'm not a doctor.

My point is, after going through a University Core module called Learning To Learn last semester, and recognising the things that affect memory and the methods to strengthen it, I recently noticed that the way I study actually use some of these methods without me planning it that way, and part of it is because of my mild obsessive-compulsive/semi-perfectionistic behaviour.

Anyway, we all know I'm weird already, right? So my approach to studying is weird too, and that shouldn't be a surprise. Before I even start studying at all, I have to have a new foolscap pad for each subject. I have to start with a clean slate. If the topics are not a lot, then I won't have a problem sharing one foolscap pad for 2 subjects. But. I will basically segregate the foolscap pad down the middle, with the front and back portions for each subject.

Using one foolscap pad for each subject minimises distraction, I feel. If you re-use a foolscap pad for multiple subjects, then when you flip the pages for your notes, your mind will be all over the place, and the focus on the one subject would be scattered. I find myself having difficulty trying to focus, so this segregation of foolscap pads per subject helps a lot.

I will then plan out and allocate days for each subject. I usually do one subject per day, but sometimes this is not feasible, so I'm quite flexible with my schedule. I haven't seemed to be able to follow strictly to my allocation of days (ever - not in my Poly days, and definitely not now), but this planning helps me get my mindset to where I need it to be, and helps me panic a bit when I seem to slack when I should be studying.

These allocation of days are done right on my calendar, so that I'm constantly reminded about it.

Yes, I do realise the calendar is wrong about Deepavali's date. And yes, I haven't been crossing out the days for a while now. And yes, I also do know that it is very narcissistic of me to Photoshop my face over whatever logo that was originally there. ;p (10 points to the first person who can tell me what was the actual branding/logo that was there. Haha.)

So, if you noticed, I wouldn't have actually started studying at this stage. These had just been in the planning stage. Who knew studying needed to be such a planned event, eh? It is, if you're me. Haha. But all this actually helps in the motivation of studying. The chasing-after-time kind of feeling especially is quite a huge motivator for me.

When I do start to study/revise, I summarise each section of each topic of each subject in my foolscap pads, using a pencil. And I have to have my favourite pencil. Last semester, my elder brother "helped" me clear my pencil by putting it in a pocket (which I rarely ever use) of my bag and I couldn't find it. I couldn't study at all until I went out to buy the exact same pencil! (Malek, you remember my anguish regarding this incident, yes?) And I mean, literally couldn't study. I kept focusing on the pencil and my mind just wasn't concentrating. It was ridiculous.

While I had reasons why I did the other things, this one... I just don't have any at all. This is just plain silly.

But I always use a pencil for my notes, and there's a reason for that. Which is obviously because any mistakes made can be easily erased off. But here's the deeper reason why I use a pencil, and this is really why my OCD/OCPD-like behaviour pays off. In a way. In other ways, not really.

I like to have my notes nice and clean, and clearly indented and in good handwriting (as good as mine can be, anyway, and I've been told I have quite a nice handwriting... For a guy!). Yes, clearly indented. I indent my notes. Haha. I have sections, and sub-sections, paragraphing, bullet-points and the works. And this plays quite a big part on why I mentioned in my first paragraph that this obsessiveness helps with my studying.

If I write something slightly messy, I will erase it off and re-write it. And I will keep re-writing until I'm satisfied. This plays an important role since (as pointed out in the Learning To Learn UCore) repetition is one of the key factors that allow us to remember things better. It might seem very obvious that the more we repeat things, the better we remember, yes? I never actually consciously put that in practice, apart from revising several topics several times. So here's where my weird behaviour helps when I study. When writing my notes, I'm actually processing the information over and over and over again (depending on how many times I write and erase a section), allowing my brain to store the data in the long-term memory.

It would be frustrating for those who hate repeating the same action over and over, but for me, I actually want to repeat the action to satisfy the OCD part of me, so I don't actually get frustrated. When I noticed that I've been doing this for years without knowing, I actually found it kind of interesting. Don't you? No? Oh, shut up, you.

I also doodle, or rather, represent the information I'm studying in drawings. Most people I know wouldn't bother to copy down illustrations or diagrams they see in their text book when making their own notes, but I do. And this also helps due to the Von Restorff effect (also something I learned during Learning To Learn), which states that "an item (in a list of many items) that 'stands out like a sore thumb' is more likely to be remembered than other items". The time I take to draw the illustrations and such are also time well-spent, as while I'm drawing, my mind is also processing all the information I'm drawing out. Again, if I make a mistake and erase out a part of the drawing and re-do it, the repetition enforces what I'm trying to remember. No wonder sometimes I find myself remembering a lot of information without really trying.

The last section of one of the chapters in my Audio Technology, summarised and illustrated (quite differently from the actual notes' illustration). I really don't think this section is going to appear in the exam, but I study and put in effort for it anyway. (20 more points for the first person to guess what the first magnet-device thingie is and what the second magnet-device thingie is! =p Erm, Jr doesn't get to play. Hahaha.)

Another thing that I practise when I'm studying for exams is... Taking breaks. Sometimes I take a lot of breaks and I feel very unproductive. But the act of taking breaks works too (due to primacy and recency effects which I'm not going to touch on; read on if you're interested). I've actually been doing this since my Polytechnic days as well, and the key is just to make sure you keep on at studying after your break(s).

It doesn't make any sense to keep forcing your brain to accept information when it's saturated and you find yourself unable to concentrate. I take a lot of pee breaks, and also water breaks (these 2 breaks help create each other - haha), and I chat with people on MSN for a few minutes, and then I go back to studying. The guilt I get when I do these things (especially MSN which can really distract like no other) is also another form of motivation, albeit somewhat a negative one, but hey I'll take whatever motivation I can get.

When I get back to studying from these breaks, I then make sure I get things done and not end up having break after break after break in multiple succession. I have some problems with this, but most of the time, I think I am alright. The key is to keep yourself in check, and know and be honest with yourself. If you're not studying, don't lie to yourself (and others) that you've been studying! It's not productive both in the short and the long run.

The problem with all of these methods of studying, if you haven't figured it out, is, of course, time. If you're rushing to cram a lot of information in your brain in a short period of time, studying this (my) way is quite destructive 'cause you will run out of time way before you get most things done. Which is why I allocate and plan my studying days well way in advance (as advanced as possible, anyway).

And if you're familiar with mind mapping, then you would also realise that these techniques are used in mind mapping. I found that mind mapping is a bit too restrictive for me in terms of the amount of information it can contain within a manageable A4 sized paper, so I've not really used that approach much. When I found out that the Learning To Learn UCore was based on mind mapping, I was actually initially skeptical as I've never found it useful at all. I've since changed my mind and it appears that I've been using the same techniques in my approach to studying all this time anyway.

For those from UniSIM who might be interested now in taking the Learning To Learn UCore, please note that it's not actually an easy-to-score module. There are 3 Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs) and all TMAs require a mind map that summarises your assignment. This UCore takes time and effort, but I am quite glad I took it 'cause it has been very beneficial to me. :)

Argh, there goes 2.5 hours of my time, time that I really don't have, spent on blogging. Back to studying! See you guys in my next entry in about 2 weeks!

See what I just did there? ;)