7 habits of successful students
What makes some students successful? Is it luck, smart genes or more? In reality, it's the habits they cultivate. You can model these behaviours to help improve your grades and confidence. Here's what you need to know.
1. They are organised
Successful students always know what's happening as and when, whether it's tests, revision, or homework. This, in turn, helps them plan so that they know what they are going to study, and for how long.
Not being organised means you are more likely to cram for exams, forget tests and revise haphazardly. To become more organised use your time wisely, stick to meaningful study schedules, pay attention to what's happening and make the most of the time in the classroom.
2. They think ahead
Thinking ahead is another facet of successful students. Forward-thinking means preparation and ensuring you have enough time to fit everything in. It's also about having the right resources in advance so that when you do study, you are ready. Whether that means having complete notes from your classes, the correct exam specifications past papers, and more.
3. They are solution-orientated
All successful students actively look for solutions when they are stuck. Whether this is seeking out a teacher or tutor for extra help or putting their hand up and asking a question that may sound foolish.
Successful students also take their learning out of the classroom to find solutions. To try this, use your library and online resources to supplement your studies; check out the problems in the back of textbooks and look online to get a deeper understanding of the materials you are studying.
4. They test their study methods
When it comes to studying, there is a multitude of ways to revise and improve recall. No one way is the magic bullet so successful students test out various study methods to see what works best for them. They also mix and match techniques to help keep the process fresh.
5. They can delay gratification
There are always more exciting things to do than study, and that's why many of us are easily distracted. Successful students feel the pull of their phone and YouTube as much as the next person, but the difference is they know how to delay gratification to prioritise their studies.
It's not an easy thing to do so help yourself by starting small. Identify your biggest distraction, for example, your phone. Turn it off for 30 minutes and study. Then look at it for five minutes and repeat, building up to longer and longer periods with the phone switched off.
6. They don't sweat the small stuff
It's always very easy to get knocked back by a bad exam result, a teacher's offhand comment or just knowing your friends have all scored better than you. Knowing how not to sweat the small stuff means not ruminating on the negative but learning from it.
It's about getting back up and trying again so help yourself by maintaining a positive outlook, steering clear of cynical peers and focusing on what's ahead, not behind you.
7. They have a more significant sense of purpose
Successful students aren't working hard for their teachers and parents but for their own sense of purpose. They are driven to work because their goals are more extensive than grades and good marks.
Having a strong sense of purpose about the bigger world and your goals will help you to find meaning in mundane and challenging schoolwork as well as motivate you to work harder.