“A cat that wants to become a lion, must first lose its taste for mice.

”
~ African proverb
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About the book

The book delves into mastering the art of
studying. It tackles many aspects that will help
you study better.

The book also illustrates how a slow learner can

improve their studying and smile every time they
get their assessment results.

Most of the strategies and tips in this book are

from the author's experience in his journey of
education.

This ebook highlights strategies on how best you

can equip your study arsenal and never fail again.

Publication: @2024
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TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Study yourself………………………………………………………………………..………. 7

Preliminaries of
a study session……………………………………………………………….……..…………. 10

Discipline and consistency………………………………………………….……..……. 14

Time management………………………………………………………….…..…………. 16

Procrastination…………………………………….…………………………..……………. 18

How to study complex

material………………………………………………….……………………………………... 19

How to recall information……………….………………………………………..……. 22

Sorting academic
Stress……………………………………………….……………………….……………………. 23

Creating a study
timetable ………………………………….………………………………………………….. 25

Tips for a slow learner…………………………....….………….….……………………. 27

Bonus……………………………………………………………………………………………. 30

About the Author……………………………………………..…..…….……………….. 33

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Introduction
“ Don't believe a word I say.”
~ T.Harv Eker
Are you willing to invest in your studying? Or
maybe you want to use the same strategies you
used and fail, again?

What is studying?
Studying is a process of contemplating,
comprehending and retaining information.
There are many definitions though, however, this
one is simpler.

Does that mean failure to retain information

despite understanding it at the time isn't
studying? Good question, I will let you answer
that.
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Are you the one student who spends countless

hours going through different notes and books
but still fails to understand?

Do you wish there was a way to help you

improve?

Are you constantly stressed and want to relieve

yourself of that academic stress?

What if I told you this ebook has answers to all

the above questions?

What if I told you that your day of failing ends

today? Wouldn't that be great?

Let me give you a brief story about myself.

During my primary level, I used to copy a lot. My
test results were so poor, which resulted in my
being dropped from grade 4 to grade 3.
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In my junior secondary days, maths, ICT and

english were my nemesis. I constantly failed. I
remember getting 5% in one of the math tests we
wrote. It was that bad.

When grade 9 examination results came out, I

almost failed math but passed by a finger tip. The
pass mark is 40% but I got 44%.

It was only in my senior secondary level when I

my eyes were opened and noted the problem was
within me. I realized the perspective I had on
these subjects was bad. I also had an erring study
technique.

I decided to go on a mission of mastering the art

of studying. Guess what? My results from that
moment upto where I am impress everyone who
sees them. Starting from senior secondary to
tertiary level, where I am currently, the results are
fantastic. Reason: I mastered the art of studying.
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It is important to note that thousands and

thousands of study tips and strategies exist. Like I
alluded in the first edition of walking the life of a
student, this ebook is inspired by educational
journey.

Get in your seat and let the journey to mastery

begin.

Before you proceed, declare this:

I am committed to change. I May have failed to
understand, process or retain information but that's
in the past. Today is a brand new day and I allow the
information in this ebook to sink in my brain and help
me become a genius.
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Study yourself
Before you study a book, take time to study
yourself. How can you study someone's work
without knowing how you work?

It sounds crazy, right? Many people neglect this

part in their quest to ace assessments. You need to
know how your body and brain works.

All you need is a strong reason you want it so bad

and then put in the effort. You may or may not
take time depending on how often you do it. If it
does take time, Be patient enough.

To master studying yourself, get a piece of paper

and start answering the following questions.

Which time do you love studying?

In my case, I love studying at night as I comprend
information very well. Moreover, less noise
distracts me.
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Where is your study space?

My study space at school is the library. At my
boarding house it's my bed because I don't have a
chair or a table. I know it's crazy studying in bed
but it works for me. However, I don't
recommend anyone to do it as you may be
tempted to sleep.

How long do you study?

For me it depends on how long the topic is. If it's
that long, I will study for 2 hours or more until I
understand.

What are your weaknesses?

I get tempted to stop studying by that small echo
in my mind. I used to find it hard to overcome it
but now I do.

How much information can you cram in your head?

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At a go, I can cram a lot, depending on what type

of information I need to get. Nevertheless, I take
in as much as I can till my RAM overheats.

Do you like listening to music while studying?

No, I don't. Music takes away my concentration,
I tend to sing along and lose focus. However, I
recently came upon information that listening to
instrumentals without vocals can enhance
understanding. I must admit, it does.

Do you like note taking while studying?

Yes, I do. Note taking while studying helps you to
remember more. This is because you are engaging
more of your senses into it. You tend to use your
brain more, therefore, better performance.

There are countless questions you can come up

with. Continue asking yourself if you like
chatting while studying, whether you like reading
from your phone or PC or from an actual book.
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The more you ask yourself, the more your brain

will be required to think. The end result: better
understanding and grades.

Preliminaries of a study
session
You can know yourself the way a pigeon sees its
tail feathers with ease but if you don't know the
preliminaries, you will feel like the world's against
you.

There are minor things you need to put in place

before starting to study. Here's a list of some
things you need to put in place.

1. Study timetable: You ought to have a study

timetable. How can you know what to study
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if you don't time yourself? You will end up

neglecting some courses. This is explained
more on page 25.

2. Set goals: Let's say you want to study anatomy

(the study of the human body), you cannot
go to the Library and get an anatomy book
and open any page. That's not how it works.
You need to have a specific topic you are
targeting on that particular day and commit
to it. Another time you do anatomy, you
commit to another topic.

3. Eating: How often do you eat a heavy meal

before studying? I guess you don't study
much when you do so, right? When you eat a
lot, the body produces a lot of serotonin that
causes you to feel relaxed and drowsy. Not
only that, it's very uncomfortable being “too”
full. Thus, eat less, after some time brush
your teeth, get a bottle of water and then go
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to war. If you are a Christian, never forget to

pray.

4. Create your own study space: You need to have a

spot you study from. It can be a table and
chair in your room, or it can be in the library,
in the classroom or in your car.

Wherever it is, just find one. Though it's not

recommended to study in bed, I have seen
some of my colleagues study in bed and still
retain information. Nonetheless, that's the
importance of studying yourself.

However, changing positions or study places

will enhance study performance. Your brain
will be challenged to get acclimatised to the
new environment, in the process, more
information retained.

Getting used to one place makes you

comfortable, with comfortability, laziness
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kicks in, culminating to less study hours and

sleeping.

5. Get rid of distractions: I often see my

colleagues go on facebook, insta or tick tok
while studying. I understand breaks are
important during study sessions but if you
are not careful, you may lose focus.

When studying, freeze all your social media

apps, as the pop up notifications can be so
tempting to click on.

Put yourself in an environment that

motivates you to study. Don't deliberately sit
where people pass because you know your
eyes will be tempted to look.
Don't involve yourself in conversations when
studying as your concentration will be taken
away from you.
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Discipline and consistency

How often do you study in a week?Do you study
everyday?

Studying should be consistent and followed by

discipline. What do I mean?

You need to study regardless of your emotions.

Whether you feel low, you need to remain
committed to your study timetable.

Did you know that the more you engage your

brain, the more synapses your neurons produces?

These connections allow neurons to

communicate more effectively with each other.
Neurons, the communication hubs of your brain
and body, rely on synapses to transmit signals.
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By increasing the number of these synapses, your

brain enhances its ability to grasp complex
concepts and fosters a natural curiosity for
learning, making studying feel more intuitive and
engaging.

To be honest, this aspect may seem hard but it is

not. I want you to say it's simple. Let's say it
together, studying everyday is simple. There you go,
it wasn't that hard to say.

Negative words influence your brain to give up

on you in many instances of life.

I want you to remind yourself every morning that

you need to study regardless of whatever excuse
your mind will come up with.

Every morning, I want you to touch your head

with your index finger and say:
I am the one in control of my mind. I will study
today regardless of the emotions I will get during the
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day. I will remain committed to mastering the art of

studying.

With that spoken, touch your heart and proceed

to say:
I am a genius.

I assure you, the zeal and ambition to study will

automatically look for you. You will be
astonished how your appetite for studying will
blow through the roof.

Time management
How well do you organise your study time? How
long do you study? How long are your breaks?

Time management not only encompasses what

time you study, it caters how long you study as
well as how long your breaks will be. Some take
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hours, other minutes, while others seconds.

Nonetheless, the goal is to be effective. This is
why I constantly stressed on the need to study
yourself.

Here's a key point, taking long doesn't necessarily

indicate you have soaked in more.

Set a time plan on how long you will be the

ultimate warrior in conjunction with your study
timetable.

I highly recommend the Pomodoro technique. This

technique is very effective. Follow the following
steps:
1. Choose a topic
2.Set a timer (for about 30 minutes)
3.Study the topic
4.Take a break after timer alerts you
5.Repeat the technique after the break.
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I use this technique everytime am studying. It

helps with understanding and prevents burnout.
Implement it and see results immediately.

By the way, what you do during the break

window is totally up to you.

Procrastination
Do you constantly say tomorrow?
Do you like watching movies and doing other
things instead of studying?
Did you stick to your word?

How can you overcome procrastination?

I will share some Japanese techniques to
overcome this problem.

1.Kaizen: It means focusing on small

improvements everyday and not waiting for
big improvement trying to become 1% better
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every day. If yesterday you studied 20 slides,

today you must study at least 22 slides. Keep
on becoming better every day.
2.
3.Hara Hachi Bu: It means to stop eating after
you're 80% full. If you eat too much, you're
more likely to feel lazy. Don't eat too much
when you want to study.

How to study complex

material
Studying complex material can be challenging if
you don't know how to study it, don't
understand and you don't know what to do.

Always attend class, it makes studying easier. To

help you understand complex topics, follow the
steps below:
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Day 1: Learn the material in class

Day 2: Revisit and review
Day 3: Revisit and review
After one week: Revisit and review
After two weeks: Revisit and review

If you manage to follow the steps above, you will

never struggle to understand any complex topic.

However, there are those instances where you

miss class, what do you do? How do you study
that topic you missed? I suggest you try the
SQRRR (SQ3R) technique. It illustrates the
following:

1.Survey: Instead of reading the entire topic,

page after page, slide after slide, start by
skimming the first chapter and taking notes
of headings, subheadings, images or standout
features like charts.
 21

2.Question: Formulate questions around the

chapter's content, such as, what is this about?
What do I know about this topic?

3.Read: Begin reading the chapter and look for

answers to the questions you formulated.

4.Recite: After reading a section, summarise in

your own words what you just read. Try
recalling and identifying major points and
answering questions from the second step.

5.Review: Once you have finished the chapter,

review the material to fully understand it.
Quiz yourself on the questions you created
and re-read any portions you need to.
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How to recall information

Retrieval practice is a studying technique based
on remembering at a later time. You need to learn
how to recall information.

Recalling an answer to a question improves

learning more than looking for the answer in the
book.

If you practise retrieval, you are most likely to

remember the information later. You can do that
by:

1. Utilising practice tests: Use practice tests or

questions to quiz yourself without looking at
your book. You can look for test papers on
google, facebook group etc.

2. Craft unique questions: Be your teacher and

create questions you think should be on a
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test. If you're in a study group, encourage

others to do the same and trade questions.

3. Use flashcards: Create flashcards, but practise

your retrieval technique. Instead of flipping a
card instantly, write the answer down and
check.

Sorting out academic

stress
School is a villain at times. Tests, quizzes,
assignments come one after another. The end
result, stress. It sucks, I know. The biggest
question here is, what do you do after the stress
knocks on your door?
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You need to consider certain aspects for you to

overcome the stress.
1. Time management: Manage your time very well.
Prioritise assignments and tasks and start
with those. This will prevent last minute
rushes that contribute to stress.

2. Avoid Procrastination: Set a routine for study

and to make sure to follow the routine.

3. Adequate sleep: Normal sleep is about 6 hours.

If you feel this is too much, take it to 4 hours,
not less. Enough sleep is very important for
your mood and physiology.

4. Healthy lifestyle: Eat a balanced diet, not soya

pieces everyday. Eat a lot of fruits, veggies and
take a lot of water. Not only that, I exercise
everyday. Wake up, stretch and do some
simple physical exercises like jumping jacks,
planks etc.
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5. Mindfulness and Relationship Techniques:

Normalise taking long breaths when feeling
anxious, it calms the mind. Meditate for a few
minutes everyday and the pressures of school
in your mind will be minimised.

6.Seek support:There are times you need support

from friends or loved ones. However, there
are also times you need professional help.
Regardless of the type of support, seek it
when you can't handle the stress alone.

Creating a study timetable

Creating a study timetable proves to be a
nuisance to many. Looks simple but difficult to
create.
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I have already touched on this in the

Preliminaries of a study session. I want to share
with you my secret.

I create a new study timetable every week. Why?

Every new week comes with its own tasks and
topics to be covered.

I sit down every Saturday and create. Here's the

procedure:
1.List down all your courses and tasks or
assignments.
2.Write down Sunday through Saturday
3.Start inserting the courses starting with the
most important ones

Remember, the number of courses per day is

your choice but I recommend a minimum of 2
and a maximum of 3.
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Make sure to balance the courses. Don't pair the

same courses two or three times. Mix them up to
keep your brain engaged.

Tips for a slow learner

As a slow learner, it is hard trying to grasp things.
You go through the same information but still
not understand. People tend to think you are dull
when actually not. It's a painful journey.

However, I assure you that this book will help

you in a way other books have failed. The steps
provided are for slow learners, however, anyone is
free to use them and up their game.

Always attend class: For you to better understand

concepts much quicker, make sure you attend
every class.
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Join a study group: Find friends or acquaintances

you can form a study group with. Ask for
explanations where it is not clear.

1. Take notes: When you are taking notes, your

brain fully engages most of your senses
helping you remember more. Moreover, it is
very helpful since you wrote them in your
own words.

2.Make an outline before you study: Before

cramming the information, make a list of
what you want to finish at that particular
time. Be realistic, don't set over exaggerated
goals, you won't finish.

3.Incorporate visual and audio materials: Use

videos or audio lectures to understand more.
Make good use of platforms like youtube or
facebook.
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4.Use mnemonics: Form mnemonics for content

that requires a lot of memorization.

5.Stay motivated while learning: Keep the fire

inside burning. Don't lose hope, don't think
of quitting, continue grinding. Never let
doubt creep in your mind.
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BONUS!!!
As a bonus, I am adding another aspect of
Studying not included on the table of content.

Studying for an exam

What do you do when your Lecturer tells your
class you will be having an assessment in two days
time and you never studied?

What do you do when all you do is sleep but

realise the exams are just around the corner?
What do you do?

Here's what you do:

1.Don't stress
2.Make a plan (prioritise the course you write
first. In case of a test or quiz, prioritise that
particular course.)
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3.Then start studying.

However, the question here is how do you study

for an exam? Highlighted above is what you are
supposed to do.

Here's how you actually study:

1. Mind Mapping: Make a picture with words and

ideas to show how they are connected. This helps
you see the whole idea and remember it better.

2. Pomodoro Technique: Study for a short time (like

25 minutes), then take a small break. This helps
you focus and not get too tired.

3. SQ3R Method: This is a way to read better by

first looking at the whole text, asking questions,
reading, saying what you learned, and then
checking again. It helps you understand and
remember more.
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4. Self-Assessment: Check how well you know

each subject by giving yourself a score. Spend
more time on things you don’t understand well.

5. Cognitive Restructuring: Change how you think

about studying. Instead of thinking it’s too hard,
believe that you can get better with practice. This
helps you feel better and study easier.
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About the Author

My names are Lovemore Daka (Jnr), a third year student at the mighty Levy
Mwanawasa Medical University pursuing a degree in Mental Health and Clinical
Psychiatry.

Am a graphic designer, author of ‘Walking The Life of a student’, Christian and

motivational coach (not certified), a mental health enthusiast.

To get in touch, you can reach me on:

Email: dakalovemore9@gmail.com

Facebook: Lovemore Daka Jnr

WhatsApp: https://wa.link/21l0px