I always think holiday is the best time for self-improvement, but once it comes, I idle away the precious time.

Actually, I'm very enthuastic about life, hungry for everything I want to learn, but I was so inefficient in studying and doing things.

Having reflected the underlying reasons I found there was something wrong with my habits and felt the urgent need to correct them.

1. Plan my time carefully.

When going on a trip, the first thing I need to do is to make a list of things to take, If I don't I'm almost certain to leave something important at home.

So when I plan a week, I should make a list of what I have to do and put those things in order according to their importance.

Otherwise, I may forget to leave enough time for the priority task.

After that, I will make a schedule of my time.

First fill in committed time -eating, sleeping, school, meeting etc. and set aside enough time for study.

Of course study shouldn't occupy all of my free time. I won't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment, hobbies, workout and even just relaxation.

A weekly schedule may not solve all my problems but it will force me to realize what is happening to my time.

2. Find a good place to study

I find working or studying at home rather inefficient.

I am frequently distracted by all kinds of stuff while reading a book or working at something.

Sometimes, I turn on the cell phone and then are totally absorbed in the popping-up news and unconciously waste half an hour on it;

sometimes I go to the kitchen or the bathroom and totally forget what I was doing.

So if I need to study at home, I really need to fine a good study area, either it's a desk or a corner of my room, but I have to keep this space free of everything but study and work materials.

No cell phones, no television, no other distracting stuff.

If I sit down to work, all I have to do is to concentrate, no walking around!

3. Scan before reading

Scanning a book enables to me to get a general idea of the content.

I have OCD and I always starts from page one when I read a book.

Until one day someone told me that you don't have to read everything to finish a book. The most efficient way to read is just to read its most important part. Scanning is the very way to allow you skip the less valuable material when you begin to read and can also help double your reading speed and improve your comprehension.

There must be other techniques that can help me with my studying. Only a handful have been mentioned here. I am bound to discover many others after I have tried these.