Hello there! My name is Ken and I am a Chinese senior high A Level student in Guangdong Country Garden School. Welcome to Ken's Study Journey website and blog!
Top students usually utilise their free time to study, especially in the transportations. They can read books, listen to podcasts and discover knowledge.
We can do diverse things in different types of transportations, like buses, underground, private car, train and plane. Doing correct things can boost our productivity and study more.
The more free time top students utilise, the more knowledge and skills they can acquire. Even if the free times are short, we can do study tasks discretely and continue at any time.
Today, I would like to talk about several things that top students usually do in the transportations using their free time. Here we go!
Buses
Generally speaking, buses usually experience stops (changing velocity all the time) and vibrations on the go. This is because the roads may be bumpy and there are dozens of red lights and bus stops.
So, it may not be suitable to read books or articles on buses, but you can listen to English audio if your headphone has noise cancellation, like AirPods Pro/Max, or remember English words using Quizlet or your flashcards.
Underground
The second transportation I want to mention is underground. Underground, like trams and overground, has its separated lanes, which means the roads can be flat and it cannot be interrupted by red lights.
Although it undergoes hundreds of stations, it may have constant acceleration and deceleration. So, it is suitable to read books or articles, watch YouTube videos and remember English words or knowledge points with your flashcards on the underground.
Because underground runs in railways, the roads are flat and not bumpy so you can have a cosy reading experience.
Similarly, you can listen to English audio with your headphone if you cannot read passages.
Take a Rest when Waiting for Trains or Changing Lines
Once you board the train successfully with crowded passengers, you can concentrate on your study tasks. So, what about the moment when you wait for trains on the platform or change lines?
Well, it's time to take a rest because you can be tired after studying for a long time or reading several articles. Rather than studying all day long, you need to be aware of the environment on the underground stations, or you will miss trains or board trains with wrong directions.
Although top students always utilise their free time to study, they still need to take a rest so they can boost their productivity.
The difference is that top students study in their free time as much as possible while others are doing other things excessively (e.g. using social media).
Productivity is more important than quantity. If you do not take rests, you will be less efficient and hence you will have less output. You just need to find suitable study tasks if you have excessive free time and sufficient energy.
School Bus or Coach
Another transportation is school bus or coach. They usually experience long-haul journeys so they usually run on highways which are stable.
So, it is suitable to watch videos, read books and articles on school buses and coaches, as well as listen to audio contents.
In fact, I usually watch YouTube videos about some study tips and Apple products by top students in some UK universities, like Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College London, on the school bus. So, I will be motivated to better plan myself for weekends and study productively at school.
Similarly, you can remember knowledge points or English words using your flashcards.
However, it is not recommended to read or watch things for a long time on phones and iPad because our eyes can be tiring. By the way, you can see the sceneries along the way to take a rest after studying for a long time.
Private Car
Unlike public transportations, you always sit in private cars instead of standing in them.
Similarly, it is not suitable to read books or articles on buses because some roads may be bumpy, except for highways.
So, I usually listen to English audio, including TED talks and Podcasts, in private cars.
You can also sleep and take a rest while ingesting the audio content to not only enhance listening skills and get fruitful content, but also raise spirit at the destinations.
Train
Trains are similar to underground or overground because they run in stable railways with constant acceleration and deceleration, and they are not interrupted by red lights.
As I said above, you can remember things using flashcards, listen to and read contents.
More importantly, trains may have desks in front of each seat, which is suitable for doing most study tasks that we usually do at school or in the cafe, like finishing paper homework, placing laptop or iPad, and so on.
So, I believe that trains are the most suitable transportation for studying.
Because the journey is long, up to several hours, you can focus on your study tasks along the journey.
Plane
Planes also have some desks in front of each seat, so it is also suitable for doing most study tasks that need desks or tables.
Somtimes, it may experience turbulence which is similar to bumpy roads. So, we need to be aware of the environment while studying.
On planes, we are required to turn on AirPlane mode or turn off electronic devices, depending on the rules of your airlines. Most planes do not have Internet access (a few has WiFi), so we need to download some necessary files, articles and videos in advance.
Similarly, you can remember things using flashcards and read contents.
Extra Studying Time around Transportations
These are my suggestions about the things that top students usually do in transportation, but there is an extra thing that I want ti mention is that there is some extra free time that you can use sometimes.
In some cases, you will get extra free time when taking transportations. For example, we can study when the train/plane is delayed, or when there is congestion on private cars and coaches.
At train stations and airports, you can use their desks to do every study tasks you want, including using your laptop/iPad, finishing your paper homework, reading books and remembering words or knowledge, in case your train or plane is delayed.
Similarly, you can use your flashcards to remember words or knowledge points, or even read some articles when your car or coach experiences congestion.
You can use these time as much as possible according to your situations. You also can take a rest and/or listen to materials if you feel tired.
Conclusion
These are the things that top students usually do in transportations. You can screenshot or copy them to save these things.
Download PDF-
Buses
- Listen to audio materials
- Remember things using flashcards
-
Underground/Overground
(Take a rest when changing lines or waiting for trains)- Listen to audio materials
- Remember things using flashcards
- Read books and articles
- Watch videos
-
School Bus or Coach
- Listen to audio materials
- Remember things using flashcards
- Read books and articles
- Watch videos
-
Private Car
- Listen to audio materials
- Remember things using flashcards (during congestion)
- Read books and articles (during congestion)
-
Train
- Listen to audio materials
- Remember things using flashcards
- Read books and articles
- Watch videos
- Finish paper homework
- Use laptop and iPad
-
Plane
(Be aware of turbulence while studying)- Remember things using flashcards
- Read books and articles
- Watch videos
- Finish paper homework
- Use laptop and iPad (with AirPlane Mode)
Hope students can study better using my study tips and be a top student.
Ken's Study Journey strives to provide high-quality articles about my tips and tutorials to study productively, together with some knowledge explanations. If you need help, I am here for you.
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