Many students study for long hours yet do not appear to improve, and they wonder what is wrong. The problem is bad habits. If you adjust your simple habits, you will flip your study game 180 degrees.
Here are 10 good habits for successful students that will improve your study experience and academic performance.
1. They revise their notes before the lecture.
Before attending the lecture, it is a good habit to revise the notes and have a fair understanding of what to expect during the lecture. It will help you:
We have a blog post about Things to do at the Beginning of the Semester that will help cultivate good habits for the rest of the semester.
2. They do their assignments as soon as they are given to them.
When given a long deadline, some students wait until the last day to complete their assignments. Even if they perform well at the last minute, this hurts their study habits.
The truth is, when you’re given an assignment, you don’t usually postpone it on purpose. You put it off due to procrastination, which is driven by the notion that you have a long time ahead of you. In the meantime, you feel guilty about failing to do the assignment, which affects the rest of your study time.
Completing the assignment as soon as it is assigned to you relieves you of guilt and allows you to devote more time to other tasks. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to revise the assignment one last time on the final day or so to remedy any errors you may have made.
3. They efficiently manage their time through established routines.
Having no specific routine to follow every day means that you will be anxious and indecisive every time you want to do something. This will lead to procrastination, something I’m sure is one of the biggest problems affecting your study.
Check out my blog post about 12 How to Stop Procrastination
To avoid all that trouble, simply have a study routine. Your routine can be fixed or flexible, but not so flexible that it disrupts your flow.
One way you can set a routine is to adjust it to your teaching timetable so that it fits perfectly between the lectures.
Then get yourself a daily to-do list. Microsoft To-Do is great for creating a to-do list that is accessible from all your devices. Having a to-do list is one of the good habits that you can start today.
We have a detailed post on time management called The Pomodoro Technique, which will help you study efficiently, and within the boundaries of your deadline.
4. They cultivate positive relationships with teachers.
Get to know your lecturers, and let them know you. You may be wondering, “How do I make my lecturers know me?”
That is simple. Ask questions in class. Make sure what you’re asking for is something you truly want to know. Do not ask questions just for the sake of it.
Remember, there are no dumb questions. If you don’t understand something, please ask. That is the only way you will learn.
When you ask questions, your lecturer will notice that you are in class to truly learn. Asking questions is one of the good habits that deserves to be a subheading of its own, but you now know how important a habit it is.
Participating in class is another way to show your professor that you are passionate about your studies. Most professors ask students questions. Be available to answer those questions. If you do this consistently and naturally, the lecturer will see you are a good student, and when you approach him for assistance, he will realize you need it and will be there for you.
Photo by Keira Burton
5. They strive to become experts in their subjects.
Try to develop a thorough understanding of the subject you are studying. You may not become “an expert” in the subject, but you will be quite good as a student. Exams will be simple for you, and you will be able to assist other students who are struggling with the material.
Furthermore, your class participation will be natural and helpful, both to your classmates and to yourself.
There are no shortcuts to becoming good at a subject. It requires time.
According to a video by Veritasium on YouTube, apart from spending a considerably long time on the subject, there are other four essential things you must do to become an expert on the subject:
Although you may not have the time to practice all four on every subject you study at the university, doing something similar will set you ahead of your classmates.
We have a detailed post on How to Remember What You Have Read. This will help you study like an expert.
6. They regularly engage in review sessions.
Simply reading your notes isn’t enough. You must review them. This means creating questions based on the information you’re learning and answering them in your own words. This is significant because it will strengthen your memory of the concepts and help you retain them in your long-term memory.
To do this effectively, use the SQ3R study method to make sure that things stick in your head for a long period. We have a detailed post on The SQ3R study technique.
7. They consistently exceed expectations in project work.
When assigned a project, avoid mediocrity. Go above and beyond to ensure that the project’s demands are met, and, if feasible, surpassed. Aim for an A in every project you are assigned.
A mistake students usually make is that they want a project to be dramatically important for them to give it their all. That is not a good habit for a student. A student with good habits must take every assignment given to them as if it were the final exam so that they get an A all the time.
Dr. John Spencer, a professor and maker, says that engaging in projects helps broaden students’ perspectives, helps them in problem-solving and critical thinking, and also teaches them to do real-world things such as project management and collaboration.
8. They promptly add test dates to their calendar.
One of the good habits examples of a successful student is adding important dates to the calendar and setting a reminder for them. When an assignment, exam, test, or project is given, a good student promptly adds it to their calendar so that they are never caught off-guard.
9. They seek help.
Seeking help when you need it is never a negative thing. You can’t go through unpleasant situations alone. Always seek assistance from your friends, study group, and professors to avoid becoming bogged down by a single problem for an extended period of time.
Some students believe that asking for help will make them appear dumb. But this could not be further from the truth. Asking questions and seeking assistance when necessary are key components of being a good student.
Photo by Buro Millennial
10. They get enough sleep.
Sleep is very important for your brain. Many students spend hours of the night cramming in an attempt to do well in school. But what they don’t realize is that sleep is very important in retaining information.
According to College Reality Check, studying at night is good as long as you get enough sleep afterward. But giving up your sleep to study produces the opposite effect. Instead of improving your academic performance, it harms it.
There you have it! If you start using the excellent habits today, your studies will improve dramatically. But you must cultivate consistency to avoid deviating from your habits. The more you do anything, the more it becomes a habit for you.
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