BUSINESS

Learn better – How to get the best out of any project management course

If you ask anyone for tips on how you could get the most out of any learning experience, you are certain to receive plenty of advice. Some of this will be based on the respondent’s own personal experience whilst some will be things they have been told about or even read about.

Whether you are studying for a degree or a professional qualification such as the APM PPQ, the ways in which you can improve your learning will be the same. Not every way will work well for each individual but with a little trial and error you will find the way to get the best out of any project manager courses that you attend. 

Get a good night’s sleep

First and foremost you should be ensuring that you get a good night’s sleep whilst you are trying to study. However varying your sleep time depending on what you are learning could pay dividends. 

·       For facts, formulas and dates you should go to bed early and get a deep sleep. Get up early and relook at what you were learning the day before. 

·       For creative thinking and motor skills then the sleep that works best is that which you get in the morning just before you wake up – so go to bed a little later and sleep in a little. 

Vary your learning locations, routine and materials

Having a fixed time and place for your study isn’t always a good thing. Research suggest that when you vary the place you study and the time then you can boost your learning skills. Also consider using different methods. Pen and paper, laptop, book. 

Space out your study time

Smaller periods of study time are much more effective than one large one. Consider breaking down your study into 30 or 60 minute sessions rather than trying to study without a break for a couple of hours. If you are sleeping properly breaking this down over a couple of days will be even more effective. 

Cramming

This really is a last resort and whilst it might work in the short term, making you better for your exam, it probably won’t help you to remember things in the long term. The brain doesn’t make long term memories until it forgets something has taken place. 

Self-testing

A proven technique for learning.Test yourself by seeing how much of what you have learnt you actually remember. This will give you an immediate indication of those topics that you have nailed and those which you need to spend more time on. 

Take notes and review them

Takes notes during your classes and make sure that you review them. It is actually a good idea to read over your notes relatively quickly, take the opportunity to amend them or highlight any text you may feel is particularly important. You could also try rewriting them, as this is a great way to commit more information to memory.