There are plenty of ways to study, most of which you’ve probably heard of, tried out, or both. What most people don’t know is how to make those studying methods more effective. A lot of students try to brute force it, studying for hours on end, not taking breaks, or stressing out the night before the test. This can result in  time being wasted, as not having good mental health can wipe the effects of studying. Here are some good ways to better your studying sessions, and maybe even enjoy them a bit more.

• Organize your study space: Keeping your areas clean and tidy reduces distractions and puts you in a good mindset. Make sure you’re comfortable while studying, but not so comfortable that you can’t concentrate. A couch or a chair is good, but your bed might be too much of a distraction. If idle noise helps, go to a public but quiet place like a library or Starbucks.

• Take frequent breaks to let your mind relax: If you’re taking too many breaks to remember anything, try holding them as a reward. For example, “If I read this chapter and answer the questions for it, I can watch 15 minutes of Netflix”. You have to be able to hold yourself to this, setting clear guidelines for what is worthy of a break.

• Plan out early in your day when you’re going to study: If you only study whenever you feel like it, it’s easy to get distracted. Tell yourself “Tonight I am going to do my homework for 2 hours, then study for science for an hour, then English for an hour.” This helps hold you to your work.

• Constantly review what you have just studied: After finishing a chapter, take a 2-minute break, then come back and quiz yourself. If you can’t remember everything, skim the chapter, take another break, and quiz yourself again. Keep doing this until you think you have a solid grasp on the subject. Quizzing yourself helps put you in that same mindset as a test and makes you recall the information.

• Don’t stress out the night before the test: Sometimes, the best way to study is to not study at all. Play games, go out with friends, watch TV, whatever you want to do. Good mental health during a test can make all the difference in how much you remember.