Cultivating good study habits can make you more efficient at studying. But how do you develop them?
Successful students are not those who devote a lot of time to learning. All it takes for people to develop and maintain effective study habits. Creating effective study habits is the first step toward becoming a successful student.
Developing a set of skills that will serve you well in the future is one of the best ways to boost your grades. Learning how and how best you learn begins with cultivating strong study habits.
Studying does not have to sound boring or like a chore. A good study habit can make studying enjoyable and rewarding. You can start building on your practices to make your study habits more disciplined.
Today, it is common for students to procrastinate and slack off while studying from time to time. It can sometimes be difficult to sit quietly and absorb information. With so much social media around the kids, the distraction is even more.
But what if this article told you that you could genuinely build your study habits? Let us find out how:
Understanding how habits are formed:
Habit is an intriguing concept!
Why is it that we never forget things like eating and sleeping? This is something we do simply as if we were on autopilot. The art of habits is amazing. We form them and stick to them easily.
To start with a habit, write down what is on your mind what you would like to do the next day. Then, the next day, try to execute your written work. The more you write and execute, the better the brain will adapt. Eventually, the brain will be used to a cycle and make you accustomed to a pattern.
The thing about habits is that it works differently for everyone. Some may form early, and others may form late. But in the end, we all form useful and efficient habits.
Discover your learning style:
Every learning style is unique!
Many of us are in the process of discovering our habits. But, of course, it takes as much time for us to figure as any habit. The key to adapting to a good study habit is discovering what learning style you fit into. Once you identify that, your journey of cultivating good habits begins.
Most of us learn through seeing, hearing, and experiencing. Visual learners learn through seeing and reading. Auditory learners learn through listening and speaking. Kinesthetic learners through touching and doing. You can use simple activities to find out which category you fit into.
Your learning style will help you perform better and get good grades. Each learning style is unique for every student. And every student absorbs information in different ways. Whatever your learning style, pick the best that suits you and works for you.
Organizing your life:
Being organized is liberating!
Organizing your papers and other things helps you get straight to studying without having to lose time. Sometimes, the mess you have created outside plays havoc on your mind inside. By having a cleaner and more organized setting, you will be much more focused.
A good way to start the day is to plan it. Putting it in writing helps you focus on things way better. So you know how much to study, how many hours to study, and what to study. Just casually strolling the book or having random plans would mess up the day.
Organizing helps you in breaking your workload into smaller chunks. Thereby helping you with a smarter study habit to develop. Dividing into smaller parts not only helps you focus but also remain calm.
Some techniques to use to get organized are:
- A calendar or a planner to keep track of all your assignments
- Use coloured folders to demarcate them
- Mark the files or documents to avoid the last-minute rush
- Create a timetable and stick to it
Staying focused to avoid a rut:
Being focused helps you grow!
A good study habit forms when you clear the mess was strewn around in your room. The more the mess, the more it could deter you from revising. The things scattered around the house are the major distractions and can impact concentration. Eventually, making you lose focus.
Mobile phones consume a lot of your time and life. Turning off your mobile or keeping it on silent helps. You can take breaks in between to check in case of emergency calls or reply to messages. Another way is to keep the phone away for a few hours till you have studied.
Social media has taken over our lives, and how. They are a major distraction, especially for the younger generation. While we can’t ignore them completely, we can avoid a few hours while studying. After all, your education is far more important. Furthermore, you will be able to detox your mind by avoiding social media for a few hours a day.
The golden rule to change your habit:
Is there truly a golden rule to habit change?
Habit-forming can work both ways. It has its perks as well as its downsides. When you set a good or a bad habit, you will fall into it sooner or later. And even you know it, they will become a part of your daily routine. So, be very careful of what you follow.
The golden rule of habit transformation is to identify habits. Our brain can develop thoughts, and when those thoughts are repeated, they become habits. For example, when your brain comes up with an idea, pick it up quickly. When you pick up the same ideas continually, they become a habit. By ignoring the negative thoughts, you focus on the positive thoughts. Thereby building good study habits for life.
Bottom-lines
Building habits take time, but once you have built them, they last a lifetime. Be consistent and stick to your study routine to maintain it throughout your school years.
So what are you waiting for? Plant the seeds of good studying habits and watch them grow!
