r/WeirdStudyTips

I've seen people use their pets or toys to practice teaching the topics they studied, but what I did was teach them to my plants.

Before, I used to speak what I studied in front of a mirror, but whenever I did this, I became conscious and distracted by how I looked, so I switched to talking to my plants instead.

I explain concepts and lectures out loud to them without feeling self-conscious whenever I stumble over my words or forget something. Pacing around and breaking down lectures for my plants worked to review and retain the information in my head far better than passive re-reading ever did.

What are some other unusual you've used to make active recall feel less awkward or more engaging?

Genuinely, I don't know what happens to me in these early exams days😭

I was told that if I chewed gum while studying and then chewed the same flavor during an exam, it would help me recall what I’d learned.

Since I was barely passing biochemistry and had just scored a 74% on the previous test, I decided to give it a try.

I chewed mint flavored gum while I was writing and reading my notes for about 2 hours of studying and chewed up 3 pieces of gum. And when I was taking the biochem exam, I was also chewing the same flavored gum. The weirdest thing happened here is I recalled most of what I studied and even got 92% on biochem.

That's when I learned that sensory cues while studying really helps to trigger memories. So the stimulus of chewing gum while reading my notes helped me pass my exam by remembering what I studied.

Honestly, I never thought that just chewing gum would really help in studying. I'm definitely going to keep using this method for this year's exams and see if it holds up across different subjects.

I don't know who needs this, but whenever you have zero motivation to study for an exam or do homework, I did this to help me lock in to study.

I intentionally spam wrong passwords on my phone so it gets locked out for 6 to 8 hours, which forces me to focus and study for that whole time.

Once I finish studying, my reward is getting to relax in bed with my phone. Honestly, these methods work so well to keep me locked in.

This is probably one of the most unhinged study tips you'll ever read, but regardless of how weird it sounds, it really works well in avoiding procrastination. I learned this from my Auntie, who told me that she studied for her major exam 6 years ago and it works best when you don't feel like studying at all.
I give it a try whenever I have an exam the next day, I get a bowl large enough for my feet, pack it with ice and soak them as soon as I start studying. It helps me lock in and finish studying within 1-2 hours till ice finally melts and my feet go numb.
This method literally cured my procrastination and helped me pass most of my exams. Do you guys have any more unhinged/weird tips that actually work to stop procrastinating?

I put sticky notes not in my notes, but almost everywhere in my room.

I don't really open my notes because I'm too lazy to get up and study. Instead, I use sticky notes, write down all the key points I need to study and put them everywhere I can see them.

Whenever I pass by, I read the items and define them out loud.

I do this every day when I walk by and it has helped me train and boost my memory to actually retain all the information rather than just sitting for hours at my table and remember nothing.

I have done this for almost half a year now, and honestly my brain has better retention than before and it has helped me pass most of my exams that required heavy memorization.

Do you have any unusual study trick that actually ended up working for you?

I don't really pull all-nighters when I am studying for exams. I study at 8 PM then I will finish at 10. I just highlight and read my notes 3 to 4 times. Then after I study, I don't look at my phone to doomscroll instead, I take a cold shower and then sleep. However, at 3 AM I wake up, get dressed and go for a jog.

It sounds strange, I know but the reason I am doing this every 3 AM is to do active recall while jogging. Once I start jogging, I speak out loud about what I just studied and when I forget something, I add 5 more minutes. I usually jog for about 1 hour or more, depending on the topic I am studying and how much I retain from it.

I've been doing this since last year and honestly, this method has helped me to actively work my brain to remember the material, as well as work my body to stop being lazy about studying.