Maximize your Study Habits

Difficulty writing = dysgraphia.
33% of people today have difficulty writing.
You are not alone!

Where you write is just as important as what you write.

Feet – 90-90-90 posture
Your ankles, knees, and hips should each be 90 degrees if you are seated. If they dangle, your back will fatigue quicker.

Body – Your keyboard should be slightly lower than your elbows. Keep your wrists straight.  Ergonomic keyboards are best.

Screen – Your head should be neutral when looking at your screen. Neck extension causes fatigue.

Who said you need to sit on a chair?

Stomach – Ly face down with a pillow across your chest and under your armpit region. Use a hard surface to write on. This posture creates deep pressure through the shoulders to help stabilize arms for writing.

Bike – Set up your bike on a bicycle roller stand and exercise while studying.

Treadmill – Create a treadmill desk and walk at the slowest pace. Walking helps verbal thoughts flow.

What kind of lighting is best?

Daylight – Sunlight through a window to the side of your face provides the most natural light setting for audio-visual experiences.

Blue lumens – Lumens of 4600K-6500K are most like daylight. Lumen ratings are on the packaging.

Ring Light – Use a ring light for video feed if the other options aren’t available.

Avoid fluorescent lighting. It is too hard on the eyes.

There's an app for that.

Study habits today should include apps.

Voice typing is available on both the Google and Microsoft platforms.
If you want to use your phone, try Otter.ai. This app converts your dictation or recording to a text file in minutes.

Grammarly Premium is a must for any college student. Protect yourself from plagiarism with this app.

Mind mapping software helps organize your notes and can be converted to PowerPoint slides. Most include scheduling features.

Complaining of hand pain while writing, try these exercises

Prayer – Start with your hands touching over your head. Keep heels of hands together, fingers flat against each other. Move hand to prayer posture with fingers tips toward the head, now flip your prayer upside down by pointing fingers at the floor.

Thumb trigger – Pinch the trigger point in your thumb.

Inverted push – Push the knuckles at the base of your fingers against the desk. Fingers pointing toward the floor.

Exercise and Music

Maximize your attention by moving for 2 minutes every hour and 30 minutes twice per day. The 2-minute segments should be cardio. The thirty-minute segments should alternate between cardio and lifting weights.

Get dirty! Get outdoors and move dirt. The rhythms of the Earth fill you when you touch the ground (preferable shoeless)

Music – Find your favorite music to have on while studying: classical, study, repeating the same song.