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Learning outcomes

At the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Execute the strategies chosen during the planning stage, while monitoring progress toward your learning goals
• Be aware of your own habits and thought patterns.
• Define procrastination behaviour   [/well]

After reading Forethought: Before you start studying, you can make your own study goals, choose effective study strategies, and make a study planning. But what if you run into trouble while carrying out intended study or strategies? This chapter covers how you can keep on track by monitoring your progress and troubleshooting common problems you may encounter creating your ideal study environment.

Monitoring your own learning is part of the 2^nd phase of the self-regulated learning cycle. During this phase, you execute the specific study strategies you previously chose and monitor the progress you are making towards your learning goals³. Continuously self-monitoring is essential to becoming a self-regulated learner because by looking back at your study behaviour and performance, you keep in mind the focus of the study task and motivate yourself. You can do self-monitoring by keeping a record of your study progress in real time or directly after each study session. This is much more effective than recording your study progress once a day or once a week. If you self-monitor directly after each study session, you can notice in time if you need to adjust your study goals or improve your study strategies.

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Did you notice issues in your study behaviour?

• If you feel like you need some easy-to-apply tips to help you concentrate better when studying, take a look at Easy productivity hacks to get in the study mood.
• If you have tried these hacks before and don’t feel like they help you enough, go to The Pomodoro technique to up your productivity during the day.
• If you have problems with starting your study task because you keep procrastinating, When procrastination is getting in the way is for you. [/well]