Hidden pockets of study time

You don’t have to spend all of your study hours sitting at a desk.

Female studying with coffee in hand

If you look hard enough you’ll find that there are small pockets of time spread throughout the day for opportunistic revising, reading or listening.

Study time feels less like study time if you’re multitasking. When you’re ticking off two jobs at once, the boost is immeasurable and the extra free time is a godsend. So, here are 4 opportunistic pockets of study time you might not have considered before, and could save you hours in every week.

Sneaky moments you can study when you didn't realise you could:

House cleaning

Unless you’re very lucky, the majority of us will spend hours each week cleaning up. You’ll likely also spend hours listening to your weekly lectures and seminars. Consider combining the two – particularly if you need to go over your lecture materials a second time to drive home important concepts.

Vacuuming, mopping or window cleaning are our top rated activities for slipping in some squeaky clean learning. If you’re particularly gifted with hand-eye coordination you could also attempt some reading while you vacuum.

Long commutes

Commuting on public transport is another great opportunity to listen to lectures or do some reading. Some of our students even use this time to revise for exams. If you find getting a seat difficult, it’s not impossible to stand and revise on a train, tram or bus – just watch out for abrupt stops or you might be catapulted into the driver’s seat.

Alternatively, if you’re regularly stuck in traffic you could also try downloading your lectures onto your phone and playing them via Bluetooth or an AUX cord in the car.

In the shower (or the loo)

Bear with us on this one! This idea is a little unorthodox, but it is also a very effective method for memorising and solidifying concepts in your mind. All you’ll need is a packet of cue cards (or system cards), some brightly coloured pens and some blu-tac.

Go wild writing down all the new concepts, notes or keywords you’ve learned and stick them on the outside of your glass shower door, or the inside of your toilet door. Now whenever you’re showering or tending to business, you can tick off a little bit of revision at the same time!

The gym

There are a number of ways you can incorporate study into your exercise routine. While we wouldn’t suggest mixing reading and running, you could mix study with stationary bikes, elliptical machines or power walking on a treadmill.

Take your revision notes, lecture recordings or readings with you to the gym or your home workout space and perch them on the handy shelf at the front of the machine. If gym equipment isn’t your style, or you're not able to go to the gym, consider recording yourself reading your study notes out loud and take them on a long walk in the park or along the beach to stretch your legs.

Exercise is great for your mental health as well as your physical health – so if you’re sacrificing physical activity for the sake of extra study hours, this might be a worthwhile experiment.

Browse  thousands of courses from leading Australian universities.

Or complete the form on this page to chat to an advisor about study options.

Explore courses

Keep exploring

3 avenues in human rights, as explored by students

Does a career spent working for the rights of those around you set your heart ablaze? You might be cut out for a course in human rights. Shiree, Debbie and Alice studied related fields.  

Career spotlightMake a difference

3 essential soft skills you’ll need in the future workplace

As workplaces evolve, there's a growing demand for certain skills—and they're not all digital. Discover which human-centric skills you'll need to thrive in the office of the future. 

Future of work

3 fascinating forensics jobs in Australia

Thinking about forensics as a career? For true crime junkies and self-confessed science geeks with a penchant for justice, it might seem like the perfect choice. But what does it take to work in forensics, and what jobs are on offer in Australia?

Career spotlightMake a difference

3 reasons you’ll need human-centric skills for the future

While AI is becoming more prevalent, machines simply can't replicate the human touch.

Job tipsFuture of work