Hi! You didn’t come here to avoid studying, did you? Well, at least you’ll learn how to study better when you’re done with this little break. These are Lifehacker’s most popular study tips from the last five years.

For many families, homework time is a struggle. And in an era of digital distraction, it is only getting tougher. Here are some hacks to help your kids concentrate. Zero judgement if you use them on yourself, too.

We’re all used to skimming past the boring parts of a reading assignment or a web article. But when researchers from RMIT University printed information in a weird, hard-to-read font, they found that people were more likely to remember what they read.

Certain moods need soundtracks. When you’re sad, or excited, or making out, a certain kind of music can elevate the experience and lend a grandiose, cinematic quality to your life.

If you have particular music tastes, playing one of Spotify’s prefab playlists doesn’t scratch that itch. You want a custom playlist, first crafted in a few minutes, then honed over years. Here are the five playlists you should prepare for yourself.

Think about a book you read last year. How much of it do you remember? Could you list 10 things you learned from it? Can you even remember what books you read last year?

Most of us only put pen to paper during the occasional lecture or workplace meeting. The rest of the time, we stick to a mouse and keyboard. This infographic explains why you should make more time for old-school scribbling.

You've got an iPad in your bag, a Surface Pro on your desk, and you're still writing your notes on loose-leaf paper? Don't be an animal. It's 2018, and it's high time for you to ditch the paper and embrace the future of note-taking, a future that lets you do so much more with every jot and scribble.

If a kid is struggling with learning school material, it's tough to know how to help. Parents try to offer guidance, saying, "Make flashcards," "Listen to some classical music," or "Ask Google." What might make the biggest impact, though, is to have them change roles.

I've been both a student and an instructor, and I totally get it. Textbooks are dry and hard to read. But if you don't have time to read the whole chapter like you're supposed to, there is actually a better solution than just glazing your eyes over the first paragraph a few times.

Studying can feel like a solitary activity - looking back at my student days, I remember sitting alone at a desk with just my textbooks, highlighters, cans of Coke and expanding self-doubt. If I didn't understand a concept, or couldn't find an answer, I'd search deeper into the pages, desperately, thinking maybe there was a clue I had missed. If it still seemed hopeless I'd sleep, rationalising that perhaps somehow the revelation would appear in my dreams. (It usually did not.)

As the 2017 academic year winds up, there are tens of thousands of students coming into the last few weeks of their high school or university studies. When I was a lad, a degree was pretty much a guaranteed ticket to, if not a life-long career, a pathway into well-paid employment. But things are changing.

For students in their last year of high school or those looking to upgrade their academic qualifications, this is a busy time of year. We're well into the pointy end of the year when it comes to preparing for exams. But it's also the time of year when universities and other learning institutions open their doors and show off what they have to offer to prospective students. So, how do you get the most from a university open day?

You'd probably think someone who talks to themselves out loud is a little "off", but they might actually be on to something. Talking to yourself is a great way to better understand what you're learning.

You've been putting off reading that book for weeks, and you're supposed to have read it all by tomorrow. Whether you're cramming for school, or trying to avoid looking like a lazy bum in your book club, don't lose hope. You can power through that tome without forgetting everything and coming away with nothing.

Learning a new language takes a lot of work, but there are some little things you can do to help yourself along. While you can't really absorb what you need to know through linguistic osmosis, passive exposure to the language you're studying is beneficial.

There's no point in reading something if you don't take some of it with you. This simple exercise, when used with diligent note taking, can help you retain more of everything you read.

Exams can drain your focus and mental energy fast, so it's best to get the tough stuff out of the way first. This super simple approach to test-taking can help reduce your stress and improve your test scores.

The Mozart Effect suggests that listening to some types of music can help with certain mental tasks. However, there's a case to be made for working or studying in silence, too. Some research shows that for certain cognitive tasks, you need quiet more than anything.

Even a small student loan can be a big shock when you have to start paying it back. When you're on a budget, it's tough to get used to having to pay a hundred bucks or so every month. To make it easier, start setting aside the money before repayment kicks in.