february 2026
.
.
.
earlier this week, i received such an interesting question from a friend's sibling: "can you teach me your studying method?"
for a second, i paused. i've heard of this question so many times before, but this was the first time ever i got asked the question.
it reminded me of my time in primary and middle school when all of the students were required to gather every monday morning in the school's field, and sometimes, we would have a self-claimed professional or expert in the field of academics and studying to give students instructions on how to study.
there's nothing wrong about these experts. it was a great resource, at the end of the day, because some students might have sort of lost their "studying appetite," or just basically feel lost in general. these students needed a source of light at the end of the tunnel so they could continue exploring and feeling intrigued with the classrooms.
however, there are also cons of having these experts preach their study methods. they claimed that they had the best study method, and it's best students should listen to them. personally, i call that bs.
looking back, there was never a single method for me. there were more like phases.
in middle school, i aced 6th grade, topped the class, and got picked to travel to turkey with my school. 7th grade, i ignored studying a lil bit as i was making some good money. 8th grade and 9th grade, i got back to studying. sometimes i'd study for hours, prepping for the high school exams, sometimes i'd study for only half an hour and then go straight to watching japanese power rangers, sometimes i'd spend time looking for schools to study abroad, which i ended up finding a really good one.
then high school in the usa, i sort of had a method, but it was all random too. 10th grade, i loved studying in the main lobby because i loved talking to people. after covid, i became kinda less outgoing, so i prefer spending time in my room studying. 10th grade, i had a small notebook on a side to take notes of important homework and reminders. senior year, i bought a small pack of sticky notes and stuck them all over the wall. it changed.
then college. freshman year, i no longer used sticky notes because walls are so bad. instead, i used the sticky note on the computer and changed the color once in 2 months so the notes felt fresher. i also enjoyed sitting in my room because it was quiet. but then, sophomore year, i became more intrigued in sitting in the main library because i couldn't stand the quietness.
there was no stable method. only adjustments.
this is the part that most "study advice" ignores. it assumes that learning is static. it assumes that if something works once, it should keep working. but people don't stay the same. environment changes, priority shifts, energy fluctuates, and interest evolves.
the same goes for studying. the idea of a universal method is appealing because it removes uncertainty. if there's a right way, you'll just have to follow it. but in reality, that certainty is false. what actually works is much less structured and more uncomfortable. you'll have to keep figuring it out.
when i got asked that question, for a moment, i felt hopeful as the kid was willing to learn, but i also felt somewhat sad for the education system. people often say the education system sucks because studying isn't realistic, and classroom experiences were sort of too theoretical.
that's true, to some extent. i personally agree that there needs to be more real-life experiences for kids. however, most people don't realize that classrooms are designed around standardization. same material, same pacing, same expectations. it's efficient, but it comes with an assumption that students can be treated as if they learn in the same way.
but they don't. some people need structure, others need flexibility. some learn by repetition, others learn by exploration. most people are somewhere in between, and where they fall changes over time.
so when someone presents a single “best method,” it will only work for a small group of people at a specific moment. for everyone else, it feels off.
when i was asked that question, i realized something slightly uncomfortable. people aren't asking really for a method. they are asking for certainty. they want to know that if they follow a system, it will work. but studying doesn't offer that kind of guarantee.
so, what's the best method? none.
but, the closest thing to the "best method" is to pay attention to what works for you right now, use it, and be ready to change it when it stops working. that's it.
sounds simple. but, it's not easy. it requires you to notice patterns in your own behavior, to experiment, and to accept that something that worked yesterday might not work tomorrow.
most importantly, it requires you to stop assuming that there's something wrong with you when a method doesn't fit. sometimes, the method is the problem.
img source: nestle professional india