Developing Consistent Study Habits for Academic Success
If you're a student, one of the best ways to make sure that your studies don't turn into a struggle and a waste of time is to develop good study habits. These are the habits that you should employ before, during, and after your academic work so that all of your hard work pays off.
What follows is advice on how to develop these good study habits. You learn about both what kinds of behaviors students should have in order to be successful with their studies, as well as what they can do to avoid pitfalls like procrastination while still working on their academic workload successfully.
Before Studying
First, you should always have a plan for your studies. If you're going to do a good job on an assignment, you need to make sure that you know what the assignment is, who it is due to, and what kind of work will be required of you.
Once that's taken care of, it's then important to actually get started on the work with the best possible frame of mind possible. This involves things like having a drink or two of water before you start studying so that your brain has all the glucose it needs to keep going and stay sharp. It also includes making sure that your body is as comfortable as possible before getting down to study. When you sit down to work, make sure that your posture is good and that the chair in which you're sitting is comfortable. You should also make sure that the computer or other workstation you're using for your studies has all the necessary tools available to you so that it's easy for you to do all of your work.
Also, while it's important for people studying to develop good study habits, it's also important not to actually use them. If you're going to use them, then be sure that they lead towards better academic successes rather than worse academic difficulties. If this isn't happening, then it may be time to reassess both the study habits and how you're applying them in order to get better results.
During Studying
While it is important to make sure that the right study habits are in play before and during your studies, it's also important for you to remember that your efforts during this time do not have to be wasted or put aside unless you want them to. For example, it would be a waste of time if you spent too much time watching television when you should have been studying. On the other hand, it'd be a waste of study time if you spent all your effort on one very difficult assignment without ever developing or improving any of the other assignments.
As you work, you should put in a solid effort. You don't have to spend hours on end with your head close to the books, but you also want to make sure that you're not spending too little time on your studies either. Even if the material is difficult, it will be easier for you to remember and understand it if you go over it and engage with it more than once. If there's a particularly difficult assignment that's taking up most of your study time and energy, then be sure that there's some left over for other assignments as well so that they are given their due attention as well.
Evaluation and Review
Don't forget to evaluate and review the work that you've done once you've finished with all of your studies. This evaluation should take place both at a macro level as well as a micro level. For example, if it's a larger project, then it would be good to sit down and really look over everything you've done so far before moving on with the rest of the project. On a smaller scale, however, it'd also be important for you to sit down with the assignment in question and review each answer individually before moving on to whatever is next.
Everything should be checked for errors. If you miss a lot of work, ask yourself why this is happening. Is it because you're too busy socializing or going out to get lunch? Are you not taking note of the clock and spending too much time at your computer? Or are you struggling with the material itself? If there's a problem, go back and look over what you've done. Work on improving your weaker areas so that they become stronger and less likely to cause you problems in the future.
Once Reviews End
You should learn from everything that happens during your study session and take this knowledge with you when those same study sessions resume again in the future. For example, you might discover that certain people have a good effect on your academic abilities when they are also studying while you are. On the other hand, if there are people around you who seem to be distracting and chaotic during your study sessions, then you may want to look into getting some headphones so that you don't have to worry about this when it comes time for you to work.
In addition, take what works and what doesn't work away from every study session into the next. If there's a study technique or habit that is working well for you for a whole semester, then keep doing it in future semesters as well. If there's a study habit that doesn't work well, then try to fix it or get rid of it altogether as soon as possible.
If you apply these study habits to your academic work, you'll see a marked improvement in how well you do even with some of the toughest assignments. Whether it's one assignment or an entire semester's worth of assignments, these good study habits can help improve your performance on all academic fronts.
Conclusion
Studying is a very important part of the college experience. Successful studying means being able to do well on midterms and final exams, which are how most courses are graded and assessed in the first place. It also means being able to pass or fail courses with flying colors, and it can mean more good grades on your overall transcript.
You'll want to make sure that you're working hard when it comes to studying, but you will not want to work so hard that the educational value of your studies is diminished. Too much time spent on studying can lead to a burnout in which you are no longer able to apply yourself and apply yourself well towards any sort of work, including your studies. Such burnouts can be very difficult for students who find themselves in this position.
In this chapter we've discussed some effective study habits which will help you to benefit from the time that you spend studying and learning. Hitting the books every day is important, but it's important to remember that enjoying your studies and having fun with them are just as important. Studying should be an enjoyable experience, and if it isn't, then you'll lose interest in doing it at all and thus won't be able to use the time well in the long run.
We also suggested studying at a pace which allows enough free time in between for both socialization and for other activities aside from school.
Conclusion
This book was written to help you achieve academic success, but your success doesn't end when you graduate. You want to keep excelling in your coursework now as much as you did before. For this reason, the information that has been presented here is intended to apply beyond your college years and into your professional life – whatever that may be.
These study habits and techniques will continue to help you throughout the years of your life if you commit to them. The better prepared you are for college, the more successful you'll likely be at any career that you pursue afterwards.