1. Setting the mood
You won't be able to study well if you're forcing yourself to. First of all, turn off the TV, turn off your iPod/iPhone/iPad/whatever gadget you're playing on, and put that book you want to read away. Then, get out your textbook, notebook, and studying equipment and lay them out neatly on your table. You should use a lot of different-colored pens to keep yourself interested. If you don't feel like studying at all, try thinking of all the benefits of studying. What works for me is reading or looking at something about studying. That gets me in the mood to study. All right, now make sure that it's quiet and peaceful, and you're not too hot or cold. Now it's time to study!
2. Studying
If you're preparing for a test, the best thing to do is first check what's going to be on the test. Then, plan which topic you're going to cover first, and how you're going to do it. I'd recommend starting with reading about the topic in your textbook (but not all of it at once), then closing it and making notes in your notebook to check if you remember the information. Then you can open up the textbook again to check if you forgot anything or left anything out. Then just keep reading and adding notes using that process. Then, when you've finished the topic. Turn to a fresh page and start writing down a summary of everything you've read. It might take some time. When you're done, check to make sure you didn't leave anything out. Now you can take a ten-minute break. Set a timer so that you don't procrastinate. Don't use this break to do anything you'll get addicted to, like reading or watching TV. Instead, just close your eyes and relax, or have a snack to refresh yourself! After the break, it's time to get back to work. Read through your summary again to review, then start on your new topic using the same process as before.
3. Wrapping up for later
When you've finished all your studying (and reviewed it), it's time for the fun part! Use all the information you've learned to make a mind map and/or flash cards, whichever one works better for you when studying. Make it as colorful and fun as possible, so you can remember stuff when you're reviewing later!
