14 Must Have Study Session Essentials

1. A Set Of Flashcards Cards To Test Your Knowledge

Flashcards are a must have study session essential. I love them as they are a really simple way to implement active recall into my study routine. I like to use them for memorising facts and also for learning foreign language vocabulary.

You should totally give flashcards a go as testing yourself with them ensures that you actually know your stuff. It means that you avoid the illusion of competence which is when you read something, recognise it, think you know it but you can’t actually reproduce it.

You might also be interested in my article on How To Study Flashcards With The Leitner Method!

My Recommendations

1. 1InTheOffice Index Cards 3 x 5 Ruled Pastel Colored, Assorted 300/Pack

2. Study Boxes – Spaced Repetition Learning with Printable Index Cards, Template Boxes & Schedule (Leitner Flashcard System)

2. A Mini Binder With Divider Tabs

I take a mini binder to class each day that has all the essentials for the day. It is organised with divider tabs that are colour coded for each subject. At the end of the week, I clear out my binder and put the old worksheets and notes into a larger subject specific binder that I leave at home.

I really like this system as I don’t need to think about what I need to pack for the day ever. Everything is already in my mini binder in my bag 🙂

My Recommendations

1. Emraw Trendsetters 3-Ring Binder 1.5-Inch – Used for Papers, Loose-Leafs, Business Cards, Compact Discs, Etc. (4-Pack)

1. Avery 8-Tab Ultralast Plastic Binder Dividers, Multicolor Big Tabs, 1 Set

3. A Student Planner To Keep Yourself Super Organised

The best students are super organised and they do it by simply organising their time in a student diary. Diaries are a study session essential as they can help you reach your goals and improve your productivity.

There are two main types of planners that students love to use – digital or physical planners. I personally love digital planning as it is super customisable and then I don’t have the hassle of carrying around another book in my bag. If you are also interested in giving it out a try you could check out the digital student planner that I designed which is linked below. It’s fantastic as it is undated so you can us it year in and out.

My Recommendations

1. Student Digital Planner Undated Daily Planning | Academic Digital Planner | Rainbow Hyperlinked Tabs | Digi iPad Tablet Goodnotes Notability

2. Panda Planner Pro – Best Daily Planner for Happiness & Productivity – 8.5 x 11″ Softcover – Undated Day – Guaranteed to Get You Organized – Gratitude & Goals Journal

4. Divider Tab Sticky Notes To Organise Your Work

I love to use divider tab sticky notes in my notebooks they can section everything into neat topics and subtopics. This makes it so much easier when it comes to revision and I have to look over my notes. The colour coded system and labelling makes it much quicker to flick through everything.

My Recommendations

1. Divider Sticky Notes 90 Ruled Notes with 6 Color and Size, 4 Pack Index Self Stick Notes Take Notes for Home Office School

2. Redi-Tag Divider Sticky Notes, Tabbed Self-Stick Lined Note Pad, 60 Ruled Notes, 4 x 6 Inches, Assorted Neon Colors

5. Noise Cancelling Headphones For Ultimate Focus

If you love to study in the library or another public space, bringing a pair of noise cancelling headphones can block outside noise and help you focus. You don’t even need to listen to music, just whack on a pair of headphones for some peace and quiet 🙂

My Recommendations

1. Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones – The Beats Skyline Collection – Midnight Black (Renewed)

6. An Extra Long Phone Charger Or A Portable Charger

If you are not studying near a power source and you need to charge your phone, an extra long phone charger or a portable charger can definitely come in handy.

Technically you shouldn’t be using your phone when you are studying, but if you are out and about in a library for instance, this is really useful.

My Recommendations

1. AmazonBasics Nylon Braided Lightning to USB A Cable, MFi Certified Apple iPhone Charger, Gold, 6-Foot

2. Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger, One of The Smallest and Lightest 10000mAh Power Bank, Ultra-Compact Battery Pack, High-Speed Charging Technology Phone Charger for iPhone

7. A Water Bottle To Keep Yourself Hydrated

There have been many scientific studies on the effect of water/hydration on memory retention and studying. Most of them have said that keeping hydrated is super important while studying. And it makes a lot of sense too since our brains are composed of 73% water.

“Brain cells require a delicate balance between water and various elements to operate, and when you lose too much water, that balance is disrupted. Your brain cells loose efficiency.”

Psychology Today

For your next study session remember to bring a full water bottle. It’s an absolute study essential!

My Recommendations

1. Water Bottle With Time Marker – 32 OZ, 1 Liter Motivational Reusable Water bottles – BPA Free, Non-Toxic Frosted Plastic – For Fitness, Sports, Gym, Travel And Outdoors – Leakproof, Durable

2. Hydro Flask Water Bottle – Stainless Steel & Vacuum Insulated – Wide Mouth 2.0 with Leak Proof Flex Cap – 32 oz, Black

8. Your Favourite Pens, Pencils & Highlighters

You cannot have a successful study session without your favourite pens, pencils and highlighters, am I right?

Before you start your study session make sure you have all of your stationery essentials on your desk ready to go. You don’t want to interrupt your focus by getting up from your desk and looking for that pale blue highlighter.

My Recommendations

1. Zebra MildLiner Complete Set 25 Vibrant Colors Great for Text Highlighting, Kids, Office, College, School

2. Tombow 56187 Dual Brush Pen Art Markers, Pastel, 10-Pack. Blendable, Brush and Fine Tip Markers

3. NYKKOLA Japanese Style Gel Ink Ball Point Pen [0.5mm] Fine Ballpoint Maker Pen for Office School Stationery Supply(12PCS Colorful)

If you love stationery you should also check out my article on the 8 cutest pencil cases for back to school!

9. Loose Leaf Paper For Extra Notes

It’s always handy to have extra loose leaf paper available during a study session. It can be used to make rough notes or for solving problems that you don’t want to go into your official notebook.

I like using loose leaf paper all the time instead of exercise books. I find it easier to organise all my notes into one subject specific binder that I keep at home at the end of each day. With loose lead paper I can re-arrange everything into a better order as well. You might be interested in my article on how I organise my binder here.

My Recommendations

1. Oxford Filler Paper, 8-1/2″ x 11″, College Rule, 3-Hole Punched, Loose-Leaf Paper for 3-Ring Binders, 500 Sheets Per Pack (62349),White

2. Cornell Note Taking Printable Sheets With Revision Tracker | Study Note Template | Lecture Note Taking | Lined, Grid, Blank Note Paper

10. A Blanket To Keep Yourself Warm & Cozy

If it is winter or just a super cold day when you are studying, a giant blanket is a study essential to keep yourself warm and cozy. You could even get one of those giant fluffy hoodie blankets to study in!!!

My Recommendations

1. THE COMFY Original | Oversized Microfiber & Sherpa Wearable Blanket, Seen On Shark Tank, One Size Fits All Blue

11. Scientific Calculator

A scientific calculator is a study session essential if you are a maths or science student. It’s much better than just using your phone as it has no other function than just calculations, so there is no way that it can distract you from the tasks at hand.

My Recommendations

1. Casio fx-300ES PLUS Scientific Calculator, Black

12. Curve Of Forgetting Revision Printable Tracker Template

A curve of forgetting revision printable tracker is a study session essential because it allows you to keep track of what you have learned and when you next need to study it. The study intervals are based of the ‘curve of forgetting’ which is the spaced intervals you need to study something to retain information at the highest percentage possible.

You simply dedicate one tracker to each subject and then fill out the sub-topics/content areas in the designated column. You then write down the date you first learned the content. The tracker then lets you tick off each time you revise for the intervals of 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months.

If you want to find out more about spaced repetition, check out my article: How To Overcome The Curve Of Forgetting

13. A Laptop Bed Table

With everyone working at home much more now, a laptop bed table could be a great study investment for you. Especially if you love snuggling up in your bed to study or maybe you live in a dorm room and you don’t have your own personal desk. Either situation, a laptop bed table is a must have study essential.

A laptop bed table will give you a solid surface to work on that have great features such as a mini storage drawer (handy for earbuds, cables, stationery etc.) and a book stand. A book stand is helpful so you can maintain good posture while reading. This will also prevent you from getting a sore neck. If you get the mini bed desk recommended below there is also a handy phone stand located at the top left hand corner.

My Recommendations

1. Cooper Desk PRO [XL Adjustable Folding Laptop Desk] – Height & Tilt Angle | Leather Top for Work, Study, Bed | Reading Stand, Drawer (Pearl White)

14. Pomodoro Study Session Printable Tracker

If you are a person that is always looking out for ways to study smarter, not harder you have probably heard of the pomodoro study method.

If you haven’t here is a quick run down:

The pomodoro study method is a time management/focus based technique where you break your studying down into 25 minute sessions with 3-5 minute mini breaks between each session. After 4 sessions you can have a longer break of around 20 minutes.

If you use the pomodoro method, a pomodoro tracker printable is a study session essential! It helps you keep track of what you are studying, for how long and when your study breaks are.

If you want to find out more about this study method I suggest that you read my Ultimate Guide To The Pomodoro Study Technique!