It was 3AM at the Waffle House down the street. I sat there absorbing the content of my "MBA Essentials" textbook for my Quantitative Methods course with a cup of delicious coffee in one hand and my pen in the other. For some reason it's a little known secret that W.H. has awesome coffee, but I digress. People mill in and out throughout the night as I sit there for the better part of 3 to 4 hours just reading and taking notes. For some reason the smallest distraction can ruin my concentration at home, but a group of rough speaking drunkards sitting at the next table doesn't faze me in the least. Perhaps it is because I am so far removed from my element that anything that occurs must not be my problem, which allows me to focus. Or it could be that after a pot and a half of java I'm wired like a Chihuahua on speed and can't be bothered. The staff are friendly but curious as to what I am doing, occasionally sneaking a peak at my notes as they pour coffee or making statements like "boy you sure look like you're working hard". Eventually I provide them some relief and discussion fodder by explaining to them exactly what I'm doing. The diner empties out of everyone except for me and the staff who then begin to talk about their various college experiences or lack thereof to one another in the far corner of the restaurant, leaving me in peace.
So do "all-nighters" work? Yes and no. Pulling an "all-nighter" is a right of passage, a time honored tradition that almost all (if not all) college students will eventually have to do. But there is a right way and a wrong way, only you can decide what works for you. Here's what works for me:
- 1.) Read your assignments and learning objectives from your instructor prior to studying. This will give you guidance on key areas you should be paying attention to.
- 2.) Study with a notebook and pen for taking notes. Write down all of the keywords and concepts as the book covers them with a brief definition and/or example in your own words (do not simply copy the book). This is very important because you are not likely to remember each concept or key word the next day. Pulling an "all-nighter" does not necessarily lend much to recollection, but it does allow for some. Combine that with a review of your condensed notes the next day and you should be good to go. So take good notes, they are your lifeline.
- 3.) Try to find an environment that you can concentrate in. You may be surprised to find that a nice, quiet office in your house is not a good place to study. For me a greasy spoon in the middle of the night is almost ideal. Go figure. So experiment.
- 4.) Realize the limitations and benefits of an all-nighter. Your retention is likely to be low and short lived, however if you take really good notes you can condense your reading to 2 to 3 pages of notes for an entire chapter. As you read your notes you will be looking into the key concepts in your own words which will boost your retention greatly and add to any information which you may have retained from the night before which while not much, will be something. Once you have reinforced this knowledge you may be surprised to find at how much you learn and how quickly.
- 5.) Keep your notes for future reference. You can always go back and review your notes before a final exam or project. This will help speed the process of getting you ready much faster than trying to use the book alone.
- 6.) If you drink coffee normally great, have some. If you are attempting to suck down 6 Red Bulls and a packet of no doze in order to get this done, stop, if you are over stimulated you may find your attention span to be smaller than that of a 2 year old. It's simply not true that caffeine jitters make for good concentration.
- 7.) Try not to stay up all night despite the title of this post. Set your goals before you start and do not let up until your goals have been met. To me an "all-nighter" is objective oriented study. You have an objective and you will not relent until it is met. An all-nighter is not simply staying awake all night plugging the hours away in general study. At least not a successful all-nighter. Once your goal is met, go to bed, even if just for a couple of hours. Sure you will feel crappy after only 2 hours of sleep but it's not when you first wake up that the 2 hours help, it's the mid to late part of the day that those 2 hours of sleep really show their worth. At least to me.
These are just a few tips, I recommend anyone with something to add to post their tips/observations in the comments box.
--Cajun