Are you tired of studying and feeling like you’re never getting it in your head?
Do you feel like you’re getting further and further behind the eight ball, but the test is getting closer?
Trust me, I hear you. I know what you’re talking about.
And here, I want to give you an interesting study approach that may work for many of you.
Let’s get into it.
The Typical Study Method
Now I want to first reiterate the typical study approach that frustrates a lot of us.
Usually, we get a lot of content to read, especially in med school.
You have to read your syllabus. Then you have to retake notes or somehow document it and then we have to retain it or view it.
Here are the usual steps in a typical study method:
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- Read the syllabus.
- Take your notes.
- Do your flashcards with practice questions.
That’s a lot to do. And you have to repeat it day in, day out for four years. That’s stressful and I get that.
A lot of you may feel that you’ve compromised on review because it took longer than what you’ve expected or wanted to.
Or you may say, “I couldn’t read as much and I’m already a couple of lectures behind”.
So, let me give you an approach for you, guys.
Study Faster with Batching
This is something you can try through this concept known as batching.
Now if you haven’t heard of batching, it’s very common in businesses or people who create contents.
In my YouTube channel, I use batching all the time.
For instance, creating a video requires a lot of steps. So, I have to think of the topics I have to create and that I’m going to talk about.
Then, there’s recording the video, editing and so forth.
Instead of doing the steps again and again in every video, I basically create all of the topics that I want for the next couple of weeks.
And then, in one or two sittings I record the videos and do all the other steps on respective dates and free time.
This works really well if you’re somebody who struggles transitioning between one task and another.
This is also very effective if you are doing the same task over and over again.
Now, you may not be a slow reader, but you just kind of stink at reading.
Then, you still have to go into review mode and then go back to reading again.
Sometimes, you may feel that your energy just can’t take it.
If you are anything like this, you may need to study with batching.
How to Study Faster with Batching
To understand how to use batching in your study, I’m going to give you some examples.
Remember: the main concept is to break down the whole process into many individual pieces and doing a lot of those individual pieces in a one-time block.
It’s doing one type of task in one sitting at one moment.
For instance, we all know that studying is broken down to reading, reviewing and then retaining.
Typically, if you’re anything like I was before, on a nightly basis, you’ll be reading three lectures.
And then you will be spending time reviewing and learning those three lectures, back and forth.
Through batching, you can set it so that you may do a lot of your reading in one evening.
You don’t have to do anything else that evening but to just read. No notes, no reviews – focus on reading.
By doing this, you can now read six lectures instead and don’t worry about the reviewing process just yet.
Then, the next day, that’s when you can set aside time to review those six lectures you’ve learned.
You’ll find that you will feel more sense of flow because you don’t have to transition back and forth between reading and reviewing.
And this batching can be as elaborative or as simple as you want.
My Example of Studying by Batching
This is how I applied it to my own study method.
First, I would read on Mondays, Tuesdays and maybe Wednesdays and get really far ahead in class.
And then, I spend Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays just reviewing and doing flashcards.
That way, I didn’t feel like I have to switch between the two.
I felt more in the flow and didn’t have to think that there is more to do on my plate.
FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful
I got this acronym somewhere, but it really does apply a lot to this study method.
When doing just one task each time, you will actually get more things done.
Our brain is wired to do just one task at a certain time.
I’ve read a study before that multitasking or switching from one task to another in the same period of time can actually create stress and anxiety and is not good for your brain.
On the other hand, having one task which you can focus on and concentrate at a certain period of time can give you a more effective result.
So, for any of you, guys, who struggled transitioning between one task into other, this technique is really effective.
It’s really nice especially where you can read a lot of lectures on Monday for example, and then say, “You know what, that sucked. I read a lot but at least tomorrow I can just review.
Then, on Wednesday I can just also review cause I’m already ahead of my reading assignment. And now, I can do just do the flashcards.”
Study More Effectively with Batching
Again, you can make the batching as elaborative or as simple as you want.
You can do mini batching, which vary. Or you can do it just as a part of your study session.
What’s important is you just focus on a task and doing it on big chunks of time. Just do one specific thing, get ahead of it, then use another day to do the other steps.
It works really well for me and I hope it will help you, too.
I hope you will try to apply this into your study system and that it will make a difference in your learning progress.
You can share down below, in the comments section, your results. I would love to know.
If you found this article helpful, you are welcome to read the other blog posts here that discuss more about creating a system for faster learning.
Here are some that I recommend for you.
Top 10 Best Resources For OSCE
How Do You Take Notes For Med School? [Step-By-Step]
How To Remember What You Read in Med School
1 thought on “How to Study Faster With Batching: Become More Effective”
Great advice my dude! Batching is something I learned late into pharmacy school, but it helped a lot.