The Best Study Habits to Adopt

Summary: Study habits provide valuable lessons for someone at any point in their life looking to focus and be more productive.

Receiving top grades is every college students dream. Having excellent grades can open doors to more opportunities in the areas we want to pursue, whether it is a highly sought after internship or multiple job offers. Finding the will power to do the studying required to get those top grades is another story. Here are some tips to help you maximize your time spent studying.

Budget your time for the day

Schedule out your day by every hour to make sure you are making time to get everything done and not only focusing on one class. While it isn’t expected to stay to the times exactly, planning your day will help you visualize what needs to get done. There are items and homework that have to get done in a certain time-frame while other assignments can take more time.

Find a place to study

You need to pick a spot that allows you to get studying done. Trying to study in the school cafeteria might not be the most productive. If you need absolute silence, then find a corner in the library away from anyone. If you like a little background, studying at home or at a coffee shop are excellent options. Once you find a good spot, keep returning to it each day. Studies show that when you study in the same place, you can program your mind to go into study mode.

De-clutter

Keep your study place clear of any unnecessary stuff. Only pull out the book(s) you need to study from at that moment. Pulling out every book you have for that semester will make studying feel daunting and never ending. If you are studying at home, be sure to keep your room clean so that you don’t get distracted by the mess just beyond your desk.

Minimize distractions

Facebook is addicting. How you noticed how many times you check it throughout the day, especially when trying to study. Set your phone on silent and vow not to check Facebook until your homework is done.

Keep up with your assignments

Procrastination can kill your semester. Once you fall behind, it is nearly impossible to catch back up. When you know you have a big assignment that will take a lot of time, get started on it immediately instead of waiting until the week before it is due. Set small guidelines to help you start ticking away at it. When you have a week with less homework, take the opportunity to get ahead by reading or completely any assignment you can that are due soon.

Prioritize

To-do lists are great but do you often find your list unachievable? There often is too much that we try to accomplish each day. Instead, make a list each morning of only 3-5 items that must get done and then a separate list of things that you would like to get done.

Don’t skip sleep

You won’t be productive at studying if you keep nodding off while reading a textbook. Nor does keeping an inconsistent sleep schedule help you stay healthy so that you can attend classes. Get the recommended 7-9 hours each night by going to bed and waking at the same time.

Use office hours

Professors are required to have office hours so use them even if you don’t have any questions. It never hurts to get to know your professors better by dropping by and saying hi. Professors can make excellent resources for getting letters of recommendations for internships.

Develop a note-taking system

Each of us studies and learns differently so don’t assume that someone else’s method will work for you. Adapt it to how you learn best. Maybe notecards work best for you or typing it out on Word.

Photo: highschoolmediator.com