Study Smarter Not Longer
What if studying longer isn’t actually the answer to studying better? That’s one of the questions at the heart of a lecture by Marty Lobdell, a longtime Pierce College psychology instructor whose practical advice on how to study has resonated with millions of people. His lecture has been viewed more than 25 million times on YouTube, a remarkable feat that suggests students everywhere are looking for better ways to learn — not simply more hours to spend with a textbook.
Lobdell’s message is surprisingly simple: effective studying isn’t about how long you sit at your desk. It’s about what you do while you’re there.
In his lecture, Lobdell shares strategies he used himself as a student and later taught his own students. Here are some of his most useful lessons.
1. Stop measuring studying by the clock
One of Lobdell’s central points is that time spent at a desk isn’t necessarily time spent learning. He tells the story of Janette, a student who decided she needed to improve her grades by studying six hours every night. She committed to sitting down from 6 p.m. to midnight, five nights a week. The result? Her grades got worse.
Why? According to Lobdell, she was spending six hours at her desk, but only a fraction of that time was actually productive studying. After about 20 or 30 minutes, her concentration had faded, yet she continued sitting there because she had committed to studying for six hours. His solution: break studying into manageable chunks.
When you notice your concentration beginning to slip, take a short break. Lobdell suggests that even a five-minute break can help you recharge before returning to your work. Instead of thinking, “I have to study for six hours,” think about getting through one focused study session at a time.
2. Create a place that tells your brain, “It’s time to study”
Where you study matters. Lobdell points out that our environments are filled with cues that influence our behavior. Your bedroom tells you to sleep. Your kitchen tells you it’s time to eat. Your living room is associated with relaxing and socializing. So what happens when you try to study in your bedroom with your bed sitting right behind you?
Sometimes, the bed wins. Lobdell recommends creating a dedicated study area whenever possible. If you have to study in your bedroom, he suggests turning your desk away from the bed and creating a consistent setup for studying.
One of his favorite examples is a “study lamp.” The idea is simple: use a particular lamp only when you're studying. Don't use it while eating, talking with friends or doing something else. Over time, turning on the lamp becomes a cue that it’s time to focus. Keep your books ready, clear distractions from your workspace and establish a consistent place and routine for studying.
3. Don't just reread—make yourself remember
One of the biggest problems Lobdell sees in students is confusing recognition with recollection.
You read a page. You highlight the important parts. You read it again. When you look at the page, everything seems familiar. But familiarity isn't the same thing as being able to remember the information when the book isn't in front of you.
Lobdell suggests a simple test: look away and explain the material in your own words. Read a section, close the book and ask yourself: What was that about? What are the most important ideas? Could I explain this to someone else? If you can, you're actively recalling the information rather than simply recognizing it on the page.
4. Focus on concepts, not just facts
Lobdell makes an important distinction between facts and concepts. A fact is a specific piece of information you need to remember. A concept is an understanding of how something works or what it means. For example, memorizing the name of a bone is one thing. Understanding what that bone does is something deeper.
His advice is to ask yourself: Can I put this concept into my own words? If you can't explain something in your own words, you may not understand it yet. Lobdell demonstrates this with the phrase “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.” To someone who has never encountered the concept, the phrase is essentially meaningless. But once he breaks down the terminology and explains the idea using examples, it becomes something students can connect to information they already understand.
That's the goal: make new information meaningful by connecting it to something you already know.
5. Try teaching what you just learned
One of Lobdell's favorite active-learning techniques is surprisingly simple: teach someone else. Explain the concept to a friend, roommate, family member or classmate. If nobody is available, Lobdell even suggests teaching an empty chair. It might feel silly, but that's not really the point.
When you try to explain something out loud, you quickly discover whether you actually understand it. If you get stuck halfway through your explanation, that's a sign that you need to go back and review that part of the material. You can even use this technique immediately after class. Explain the day's lesson to yourself in your own words. If you can explain it clearly, you're probably on the right track.
6. Use your notes—and revisit them quickly
Taking notes is another important part of Lobdell's approach. But he doesn't recommend simply taking notes during class and forgetting about them until the night before an exam. Instead, he suggests spending a few minutes right after class expanding your notes while the material is still fresh. Fill in details. Clarify things you didn't have time to write down during class. Add explanations in your own words.
Lobdell says this can take only about five minutes per class, making it a relatively small investment that can strengthen your understanding of the material. And if you don't understand something? Ask. Talk to a classmate. Ask your instructor for another example. Lobdell emphasizes that instructors want their students to succeed, and asking questions is part of the learning process.
7. Get enough sleep
Finally, don't overlook something that can be easy to sacrifice when you're trying to fit everything into your schedule: sleep.
Lobdell discusses the connection between sleep and memory, emphasizing that studying isn't simply about putting information into your brain. Your brain also needs time to process and store what you've learned. That means staying up all night to cram for an exam may not be the best strategy.
Instead, Lobdell encourages students to plan ahead, study earlier and give themselves enough time to rest. As he puts it, we all have the same number of hours in a week. The question is how we choose to use them.
Your Turn: Try One Thing
It's easy to watch a video, read an article or sit through a lecture and think, “That sounds like a good idea.” But Lobdell makes an important distinction: learning should change your behavior. So don't try all seven strategies at once.
For your next study session, choose just one:
- Study in a focused chunk, then take a short break.
- Create a dedicated study space.
- Close your book and explain what you just learned.
- Focus on understanding a concept instead of simply memorizing it.
- Teach the material to someone else.
- Spend five minutes reviewing and expanding your notes after class.
- Give yourself enough time to sleep.
Try it. See what happens. If it works, try another. Because according to Lobdell, becoming a better student isn't necessarily about studying more. It's about learning how to study more effectively.