Get those good studying habits (p2)

Alright, so in the previous post, we have discussed the biggest thing that is preventing all of you guys from being able to learn well - which is that you guys are not actually wanting to learn it in the first place. Just a recap from the previous post: learning is never going to be effective if all you are doing is sitting in one place with your mind wandering somewhere else; and only when we actually have a tendency to look can we have the ability to take in information and finish your work!

In this post, I would like to build on the idea of establishing good studying habits by including some more tips for you to have the ability to create better studying habits. There are going to be three main points which I have chosen from a lot of tips that I have, so I hope that after reading this, you will be able to apply this into your real life for those higher scores!

The first thing that you must keep in mind is that you must be able to manage your time well. The total amount of time you have per day is only 24 hours, and subtracting other things that you have to do, the time you can dedicate to learning will be much less. Because of this, knowing how to use that time efficiently is going to benefit you a lot! Before you actually start to study, it is a good habit for you to figure out what things should be done first. An issue that a lot of people may face is that whereas there are works that must be done earlier than others, you may still choose the one with a longer due date since you “prefer” to do that one. In response to this, you may say something like “but I like to do this first, because it encourages me to study.” This is, again, fallacy! Whereas it is true that studying things you like can help with making you more enthusiastic when it comes to learning, at the end of the day it is a way of avoiding the rest of the work! Plus, that work that you’re preferring to do right there is not going to get to its due date soon, so why having to focus that much on that? Personally, whenever I have a lot of choices when it comes to homework, I will pick the ones that are due earlier first. There are two benefits from this: first of all, this will make sure that you are turning all work on time, and that you won’t have to stress out about unfinished homework later on. And for the second benefit, by not running away from the problem, you are actually showing your tendency to do work! I know, this is easier said than done, but the crucial thing here is to do things in small steps, and plus, learning doesn’t have to be something boring and tedious! If you feel like going to a coffee shop and doing work while staying in that comfy chair is making you more productive, do it! But again, don’t turn this into distractions - always bear in mind that studying is the ultimate goal, so try to do things that will accelerate your path towards that goal if possible.

The thing I have said above is actually my second point here: try to prevent as much distraction as possible. I am going to name some examples right here, and give you advice on how to prevent this kind of distraction.

Your phone? Throw it away. Like seriously, you don’t need it.

Loud noise? Get a pair of earpods! Be focused on your work instead of the noise!

Relatives in the house? Close the door and continue to study please!

Plans of hanging out with your friends? Seriously, don’t fall for that fleeting happiness. Always have that mindset that you need to study!

Hungry? Plan to eat something beforehand! Don’t let that become your excuse to go downstairs and get that bottle of drink, which may likely turn into 30 minutes of watching TV.

Feels like doing something else? Have a time block for studying! Promise yourself that you will do that thing as soon as you finish your work, and think of it no more.

Work being too difficult? Take a breath! The work is not running anywhere, so there is no need to get discouraged!

And the third tip that I have for you guys isn’t something that is mentioned too much, which is the idea that you should always have that mindset of “you need to get that high score” - this works especially for people who want to be high-achievers. Whenever you are discouraged from studying, always think of yourself: what am I doing this for? What will happen if I don’t get that work done? I know that this may sound a bit toxic, but hey, at the end of the day you have to get that work done, so by warning yourself, you will get something called eustress - basically, good stress! And when you force yourself to do things, you will have that mindset of actually doing work instead of being lazy!

I hope that through these two posts, you have learned something and can start applying this into your life. Practice these things, and tell me whether it is working for you! Good luck!