How long should you effectively spend on learning each day? This is a question that concerns many learners. This topic was discussed in detail in an online advice forum. The questions asked there were: ‘How long should you study each day? How many breaks should be taken in between? How long should these breaks be? How much should you drink during breaks? And what should you do during the breaks?’
A learning psychologist answered these questions clearly and succinctly: ‘From the point of view of learning psychology, the optimum learning time is around 4 hours spread over the whole day.’ The expert explained the reasons for this in more detail: ‘The rule is very simple: 4 hours of learning time spread over the day results in an effective learning time of around 8 hours for the brain. In contrast, 4 hours in a row or with only short breaks in between only leads to brain activity of around 2 hours.’
The reason for this is that the brain needs breaks to process and consolidate what it has learnt. The regular breaks allow it to better absorb, link and memorise the information. In this way, what has been learnt is anchored in the memory for the long term. Short, active breaks, in which you distract yourself physically or mentally, also help to maintain concentration and learning efficiency.
The learning psychologist therefore recommended that learners decide for themselves whether they would rather spend the 4 hours of learning time in one go.