Imagine watching a movie where the main character puts no effort to entertain you. A film where the protagonist sits around all day and postpones all the tasks to the final scene. That movie wouldn’t even get a single star on rotten tomatoes. You’d probably not even watch the second scene. Now, picture your life as a movie and you as the main character. What would you like to watch yourself do? Clearly, your attitude toward your life determines your success. Most importantly, your behavior at school influences your performance. Successful learners demonstrate unique habits that contribute to their success.
1. Time management
Successful students are good time managers. Time management is one of the skills that people expect you to have, but no one ever teaches or talks to you about it. Parents and teachers just assume that everybody has similar objectives and automatically knows how to organize and manage their tasks. Frankly, time management can be the difference between a poor and a good performer. In most cases, the best students understand when, where, and how to do things. To be a successful student, you must learn the dos and don’ts of time management.
Dos
1. Plan your work and time
Planning implies having a full picture of your responsibilities, tasks, free time, and expectations. Having a plan helps you conceptualize your life holistically. As a result, you always understand expectations and other factors affecting your decisions.
2. Prioritize
With a clear picture of your school calendar and life, you can view the most important tasks and schedule the most appropriate time for them. Prioritization should consider such factors as urgency, value, and amount. You must find a balance between these factors to be successful. You should always start with the most valuable task. However, some cases may force you to consider urgency over importance.
3. Block distractions
Find the perfect place for your studies. The place should be comfortable with minimal distractions. Employ the same principle for the rest of your school life by avoiding unhealthy companies and operating within your means. Avoid questionable characters and stick to your plan.
4. Track your time
Often, students fail due to their inability to stay on track. You might have the best plan, but not everything goes according to plan. By tracking your time, you can identify the tasks that have fallen behind schedule and those that surpassed your expectations. Tracking helps you remain realistic.
5. Set smart goals
Similarly, every plan should have specific, measurable, realistic, and time-specific objectives. Smart goals are easier to identify and track. You should abide by a specific method of measurement. For instance, you can plan to revise a topic in psychology by the end of the week. This goal is specific, measurable, and time-specific. But is this goal specific? Is it realistic? Will you only study that topic for five days in a week?
6. Consider and plan for slack
Being optimistic is one of the greatest weaknesses of all humans. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying optimism is bad. However, sometimes people only plan for positive outcomes and fail to prepare for the worst. Planning for slack time gives you room for adjustment. The term refers to the reasonable duration you can postpone a task without having a negative impact on the final output. You must always prepare for the unknown and give yourself enough time to adjust.
2. Seeking help
Another critical determinant of success is knowing when to ask for help. Whether it’s from your teachers, peers, friends, or a coursework writing service EasyEssay, every student needs help at some point. Knowing when to ask for help can save you chunks of valuable time. Instead of wasting hours reading and re-reading the instructions, contact your professor, ask a classmate, or hire an essay writer. Just don’t waste your weekend on a two-page discussion post. Asking for help is both a time management skill and a helpful habit for success.
Don’ts
1. Procrastinate
Procrastination is the biggest enemy of a student’s success. No matter how much you feel a task is irrelevant, procrastinating will not make it go away. Always finish your tasks early to avoid being overwhelmed. Procrastination only piles the work you need to do later. Besides, it limits your focus as you waste a lot of valuable time planning and reorganizing tasks.
2. Multitask
Avoid multitasking at all costs. Planning helps you work on one task at a time. With such a strategy, you can focus all your energy on the most important responsibilities and maximize your effort.
3. Active listening
While time management is the most helpful habit for a successful student, there are other behaviors that make your life easier at school. Active listening helps you grasp and conceptualize concepts better. You learn to capture the information, analyze it, and reflect on it within the classroom. This way, you have a better chance of understanding instead of cramming. You may not even need to review your textbook later. Thus, you save more time for other tasks.
4. Consistency in decision-making
Similarly, being organized and disciplined in your task management is critical to your success. Establish specific times and places for your most important tasks. Regulate your time and create new habits. For instance, if you are a morning person, wake up early and study when your mind is still fresh. Make this a habit and avoid unnecessary changes to your schedule.
Maintain both procedural and content consistency in your decisions. In other words, utilize proven methods in your activities. If you find a way that works, keep using it until such a time that it stops working. Always make decisions that help you achieve your goals. Your choices reflect your values, beliefs, and objectives.
5. Knowing when to stop
Most importantly, planning includes rest. You must give your body some time to recover. Sleep helps you rejuvenate your energy. Being well-rested eliminates stress and improves your coping abilities. You can have clearer thoughts and overcome distractions. You must know when to stop. Understand your ability to stay focused and organize your study time to fit your level of attentiveness. Take breaks between tasks to maintain your attention and eliminate stress.
