Hello CafeTalk,

Here are five quick tips for building independent study habits. Feedback and comments are most welcome. 

1. Know yourself - It's important to understand yourself before making changes to your routine or beginning a new project. If you understand your own work preferences and style, you can develop a learning plan to match those needs. If you don't take time to understand yourself, your approach might not be easy to implement and it might not work. Ask yourself the following and use the answers to develop a new study plan! 

• Have I studied well before? What made it work well? 
• Where and when do I study best? 
• What do I find difficult about studying? How can I avoid these situations?

2. Start small - Change processes and establishing a new routine can be challenging, especially if you have competing priorities. If you start with a small achievable goal, and deliver on that goal every week over a medium term, you might find the change process easier and more rewarding. Once you have established a "mini" routine, you can add in greater work loads later. Start small.

3. Take good breaks - The research tells us that taking a break every 45 minutes helps us maintain focus and prodcutivity. Working longer than 45 minutes is ineffective and inefficient. Stretch, drink some water, play with your dog, talk to your plants for 15 minutes before hitting the books again with renewed clarity and focus. See https://yourstory.com/2023/12/boost-productivity-45-15-rule-guide

4. Make it fun - Study doesn't have to be boring. You can make card games, board games and draw pictures to represent the things you need to learn. You can involve your family in the learning process and explain the issues to them. Get feedback from them. There are lots of ways to make study fun ... especially if it's English!  

5. Reward yourself - After a study session, make sure you give yourself a reward. Some suggestions include: watching a TV show, going for a walk or a swim, having dinner at a restaurant with a friend or listening to your favourite music. (I suggest avoiding alcohol as a reward but that is also an option!) 

Thanks. I hope this is useful. Feedback welcome. 

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About me
My name is Tim. I'm a qualified and experienced English language teacher from Australia. I have a Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of London and 20 years teaching and managing English language schools in France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, China, India and Australia. I worked at CafeTalk in 2021 and now I'm back. 

I live in Gifu, Japan with my wife, my son and my parents in law. Our cat's name is Greg. I am an avid swimmer and I like reading literature among other pursuits.   

Feedback and questions on the above column are most welcome. See you online soon.