How Your Phone’s Background Can Help You Study

We love tiny hacks here, and sometimes the smallest ones make a big impact. If you’re studying for your final exams right now, you might be feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to squeeze everything in. However, even in your free time, you can subconsciously absorb materials.

Change phone background

Think of something you recently studied and need to memorize, such as a periodic table or a sequential list of steps. Find a way to compress it so that the material is the size of your phone screen, and then make it the background. (Alternatively, make it the screensaver and background on your computer.)

Every time you check the time, look at your phone, or get a notification, you’re seeing stuff. Take a few seconds to read it. Now he is ubiquitous. Anytime you want to review or check yourself, just tap your phone to make it light up. You don’t have to dig through screenshots or notes to find what you need.

This also works for instructions, say an essay. Instead of constantly opening the instructions page, just keep it handy as the first thing you see on your phone so you can check your work and progress along the way.

Passive learning

Passive learning is what happens when you receive information without feedback. For example, lectures and podcasts are passive learning tools. Active learning happens when you work through the material, for example through flashcards or two-way discussion.

You can use the technique of changing the background little by little in both cases. Passively, you will absorb a little more when you look at the screen, but you can also actively explore it by turning the screen on and off to test yourself. For example, try putting the definitions you’re struggling with there. Turn off the screen, try to remember the definition, and turn it back on to check your work. Do this throughout the day and notice that you begin to absorb the definitions more easily through the combination of constantly seeing them and asking yourself questions.