With the new school year starting for many students in a couple of weeks--whether you are a high school student starting their senior year, and college freshman starting at a brand new school, or any kind of student in between--many students want to take steps to improve their grades. Who wouldn't want that? However, studying can be incredibly stressful if it is not done with the right approach. Here are some studying methods that I have found to be the best for really digging in deep.

1. The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, is a method of time management that works on a interval system. Typically, you would work for 25 minutes and take a break for 5 minutes. This is a great system for time management because it allows you to take 25 minutes of total concentration. I've used this method when studying and rewriting notes during normal, non-finals studying and learning. For greater understanding of this method, read about the underlying principles for this method.

2. The Almighty Printable

Printables are my favorite thing to work with when it comes to studying, learning, and managing time, especially during finals. Using a printable really helps you make your goals and tasks more tangible to you as well as helps you stay organized so that you are not studying or learning something that you shouldn't be focused on. My favorite ones include the Cornell printables that Tulip makes and this goal getter, month at a glance, and grade tracker printable set.

3. The Cornell Note-taking Method

This method is a classic method of note-taking. It never stuck with me (I personally feel that it wastes space on the paper that could be used for other notes), but it has worked for a lot of people. in the previous method, there is a link to a printable version of this. However, if you don't want to kill another tree to print it out, it's as simple as folding a paper in half (hot-dog style), labeling the right side "notes" and the left side "headings." Different teachers and people in general will have a variant on what they label their page. It's good for organizing notes in a clear and concise way.

4. Bullet Journal

This method is more of a method for organizing, but it is still a great method for keeping track of what you need to study. I keep a bullet journal within a legal pad of graph paper and I absolutely love it. It takes a lot of getting use to, but the more you work with it, the easier it will feel. Here is what mine looks like for the week of August 7:

Studying can be incredibly difficult when not met with the right force. It is my hope that some of these can be used to boost GPAs. I'll be using the almighty printable method and the bullet journal very often myself.