Q: If you are using your phone as your alarm clock, turn on airplane mode so you will not be interrupted by notifications. If background noise is unavoidable, or if you suffer from tinnitus, putting on headphones with soft, relaxing music may help. You can also try using ear plugs. Note when you will be available again. This will keep co-workers from accidentally disturbing you. This may sound counterintuitive since caffeine is a strong stimulant, but you will not feel the effects immediately, especially if you are taking a nap of less than thirty minutes. Caffeine has to travel through your gastrointestinal tract, and can take up to 45 minutes to be absorbed. Taking a "caffeine nap" in which 200mg of caffeine are consumed right before a 20 minute nap may improve performance and make you feel less sleepy once you wake up. However, if it is late in the afternoon you should probably skip the caffeine, as it may make it more difficult to fall asleep at bedtime. You can also skip the caffeine if you are trying to quit caffeine. Once you are close to finishing your coffee (or your green tea, or your caffeine jello shot, etc.), set an alarm that will wake you up after the desired amount of time. Setting an alarm will help you relax, as you know you won't sleep longer than you intend to. Keep in mind how long you need to fall asleep. If you want to take a 20 minute nap, and you usually take about five minutes to fall asleep, then you will want to set your alarm for 25 minutes. If you fall asleep very quickly, you may only need to add an extra minute or two to your desired nap time. If you're one of those people who has a habit of pressing the "snooze" button and going right back to sleep, put your alarm across the room, or as far away from yourself as possible if you're in the car, so that it will not be easy to turn it off. If you are consuming caffeine, you can do this directly after finishing your caffeine, if you are not, you can do this directly after you have made yourself comfortable and set your alarm. If you are having trouble falling asleep try this exercise: Close your eyes, and exhale completely. Then breathe in slowly, to a count of four. Hold your breath to a count of seven; then, making a whooshing sound, breath out through your mouth to a count of eight. Inhale one breath in, and then repeat the cycle three or four times. The whole exercise only takes about 60 seconds, and should help put you to sleep quickly. You can also try putting all thoughts out of your mind. Instead, try focusing only on your breathing. This is very similar to meditating, but can also help you relax so that you can fall asleep quickly. Try counting down slowly from 100. If you forget what number you're on, simply start again at 100. This will help keep your mind off of thoughts that keep you awake. You can also try one of the commercially available power nap machines or CDs that play a special soundtrack designed to induce a sleep state. Even if you are unable to fall asleep during your nap, keep your eyes closed and meditate. Although you may not fall asleep, you can still help your brain recharge a bit. Additionally, incorporating short bouts of sleep into a daily routine (taking a nap every day after lunch, for example) can help you "train" your body to expect a nap during that time and you'll have an easier time falling asleep. Resist the temptation to sleep longer. Ideally, you will wake up feeling refreshed, but you may sometimes feel like you want to sleep more; do your best to resist this temptation as it can throw off your sleep routine, and you may wake up the second time with sleep inertia. Follow up with physical activity. Get your heart rate up a bit by doing a few jumping jacks or push-ups, you can also try a bit of jogging in place. Wash your face and expose yourself to bright light (e.g. sunlight), which can help you feel more awake, if you are still feeling groggy after your nap.
A: Turn off your mobile phone and any other potential distractions. Place a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside of your door, if you are at work. Have caffeine right before you nap. Set an alarm. Close your eyes and relax. Try the "4-7-8 exercise" to fall asleep quickly. Keep your eyes closed. Get up as soon as the alarm goes off.

Q: Look for text written in bold or italics, or off-set in a chart or graph. Also look for sections at the end of each chapter that condenses the key concepts from that unit. Information presented in any of these ways tends to be of the highest importance when teachers prepare a test on that chapter or section. If you're studying a creative work, such as a play or novel, look for patterns and themes. Motifs (elements that carry additional meaning, such as darkness, blood, gold) may repeat across the text, suggesting that they're important to pay attention to. "Big ideas" are also good to focus on. If your teacher permits it, you can use a study guide such as Cliffs Notes or Shmoop to help you understand the plot, so that you can focus on more important themes and patterns. Don't rely on these guides to tell you everything you need to know! Use them only as supplements to other study and reading techniques. Now that you've skimmed the chapter and made note of the key concepts, read the whole section at least once, paying attention to details and taking notes along the way. This will allow you to understand the material and contextualize that chapter within the larger unit. Active reading, which involves asking questions of the reading and taking notes, is proven to be more effective and efficient than passively reading through just to finish the chapter. Draw a bracket around key concepts in the chapter, and circle any terms or names you're not familiar with. Write questions in the margins as you read, then find the answers to those questions. This will help you make better sense of the material and will help you remember those concepts more concretely. Remember that restating can also condense and focus. As you restate, make sure you pay attention to what seems most important. For example, consider this passage: "Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes." Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47. A restatement of the key concept could look like this: "Take fewer direct quotations in notes bc too many could cause over-quotation in final paper. 10% max quotes in final." As you can see, this has captured the most important information from the passage, but it's in your own words, and it's much shorter -- meaning it will be easier to remember later. Go over your notes and any flashcards you've made. Quiz yourself once you've read through all of your notes several times through. You should be able to recall most of the key concepts, names, and dates. Repeat this review process as often as necessary to keep the information in your mind as you prepare for upcoming quizzes and tests. Studies have found that the most efficient way to study is in short bursts, typically in 1-3 hour increments. Give yourself several days, each with several sessions, to prepare. Research suggests that studying related but varied material in one sitting is more efficient and effective than studying just one subject material in a given session. You can also try to relate material you're learning to stuff you already know. You can even create connections between new material and pop culture. You're more likely to remember new material if it's linked to things you're already familiar with.
A:
Skim each chapter before reading. Read the chapter closely and take notes. Be an active reader. Restate key concepts in your own words. Review everything you've read as soon as you finish the chapter. Don't try to do it all at once. Change up your subjects.