Effective Techniques to Improve Study Habits in Students

Many types of students have their unique way of learning and vision of acknowledging things. To name some of them, some are overactive students who always have something to ask and something to say. The others are hard workers; they will be behind the books, attending an extra class, or in the library. Some of them are all-rounders who excel in every department by getting good grades, winning trophies in extracurricular and even planning mischief with their friends. We even have the class clowns always playing pranks and making jokes, the artistic ones who can even make a plastic glass look beautiful, and the clueless one who don't know what others are doing and needs a good sleep at the back of the classroom. These are some categories, and you might have already categorized yourself and your friends in them.

All these students have a different way of studying and learning things; some learn by rereading the topic, and they get the exact paragraph word to word. Others are those who cannot learn anything without understanding the concept. Some study day and night, and some a day before exams. Moreover, we all need to learn some good tricks to study and excel to become an all-rounder.  

Why are Study Habits Important?

1. It will build and define your future

Having good study habits will lead to building a lifestyle where you will acknowledge discipline and plan. The future will hold even bigger challenges than studies and exams. Later in life, you will have work deadlines, family gatherings, and your kids' necessities, which will be required to be attempted at once. Good study habits will prepare you to manage your daily lifestyle and become successful in life. 

2. It reduces exam anxiety

We all have suffered from exam anxiety, those who have finished the course 3 times, and those who haven't even touched their books. To reduce this anxiety and pressure, we need to have good study habits which can assure us about the study material and provide confidence for the exams.

3. Improves confidence and self-esteem in class

When a student has good study habits, revising the class material, preparing for mock tests, and combining class revisions are part of the study schedule. It will lead to knowing the answer to most of the questions asked in class and good grades in mock tests, increasing confidence. Also, extra reading can make us understand the class material even better while improving our self-esteem.  

4. Refines the ability to gain knowledge 

You become eager to learn and explore when you have a good study habit. When you are ahead of your class material and topic, it requires research to understand. That leads to learning new concepts which will not even be discussed in class while improving your knowledge.

5. It can also help you gain more time for the activities you like

Effective study habits followed with discipline often spares you time for other activities, and sometimes, days when you relax and learn new things. Learning new activities and exploring new things such as art, craft, sculpture, music, and cooking can be learned in your spare time, or you can even pick up your favourite book and have a chill day in bed.

How to Effectively Improve Study Habits 

• A studying spot can do miracles

It might not seem as essential, but it is most important. Imagine a place full of noise, bad smell, and distraction from listening to other people. Can you study here, no right? Now imagine a place with tranquillity, bright yet soothing lighting, soft music just in the background for calmness, a comfortable chair or couch with a charging spot nearby, and inspirational quotes hanging on the wall. Can you concentrate in this place? If your answer is yes, then you should find your studying spot right now; it can be a library, a less crowded coffee shop, or a corner at your home. 

• Plants, music, and a warm environment can increase your concentration

As we know, having a good studying spot is essential, but making it more comfortable and effective for concentration is essential. It is found that essential oils and the aroma of plants can increase your focus while reducing stress and anxiety. Along with this, soft music and sandalwood improve your brain functions.

• Do not study when you are tired.

When you are tired, your mind only concentrates on rest or a break. At that moment, pressurizing it with studies and learning things can lead to confusion. It will eventually waste your time, considering you didn't learn anything and still have a tired mind. Studying with a fresh mind is an essential recommendation. 

• A to-do list can be helpful (Proper Plan and Schedule)

You can say I have enough crammed-up work to study; why would I waste time in creating a to-do list. However, that work is crammed-up because you forgot things or ignored to finish that work for so long. A to-do list will be your ultimate goal for the day; it won't allow you to forget things and allow you complete tasks as per your list. Also, this planning and scheduling of tasks will let you be disciplined and busy.

• Never procrastinate your planned study session

Procrastination is one of the undefined gifts to be bad or good. We all procrastinate by thinking about the outcomes of our actions of past, present, and future. While studying, procrastination becomes the most negative and time-consuming devil, so stay away from it.

• Study groups increase determination

When you study alone, procrastination becomes your only source of motivation; in actuality, it is a source of wasting time. Procrastination starts with the feeling of negativity and thoughts of what might happen if you don't pass, thinking about what others might be doing while you are sitting there procrastinating. In this case, a study group often helps, where everyone motivates other members by setting milestones. Choosing a study group is a hard task; you need to decide that you won't distract each other and that any member will not feel distinguished by others.

• Make use of the Pomodoro Technique

Have you ever felt that if there were some more time to finish that assignment or some more time to study for that exam, you would have scored well or even excelled in your class? If it has been your case, you can apply the Pomodoro technique for an effective study schedule, and by this, you can even finish your assignment on time with satisfaction. 

Pomodoro works with studying quickly by dividing tasks into small intervals with manageable time units. To apply Pomodoro, you need to decide your task and what you want to achieve in how much time. Then create a timer and study without any distractions. If any distractions appear in your mind, you can write it down on a notepad and then fulfil that work in your break interval. You can even do other basic activities during your breaks, such as having a coffee or snack. This is the Pomodoro cycle of study. 

• Take breaks and eat healthy

Studying needs your physical as well as mental strength. If you study day and night without eating, everything you learn is a waste, as your body is not physically healthy to gain and adapt to all the learning. Eating a proper meal, so you won't have food while studying intestines, is important, and being physically fit and healthy is also necessary.

• Make study fun with flashcards and activities

Studies can be boring for many of us, as we can't just sit and learn something we don't understand. However, understanding things we like can be fun and easy to remember. Old tricks such as flashcards are useful for applying a keyword and its meaning on the back. It can also be innovated with tricks such as drawing, pictures, or other clues to remember things while understanding them. Other activities that sound funny and incapable of coping with also work for some people, such as singing or rapping the chapter, or playing games, such as quiz activities, storytelling can help.

• Review your earlies notes to be on track

Revising regularly also works for many people as when you learn new things, the older ones automatically fade from your mind, just like our memories. You don't remember your first toothache unless someone told you a story. So, when you revise the earlier learning, you organize your mind to learn the new stuff while remembering the older stuff.

• Stay away from distractions, social media, and mobile phones.

The evillest thing with mind concentration is a distraction; while studying, your mind will lure you to other attractive things, such as social media and mobile phones. More than a blessing, technology is a curse for concentration. We all have done this; we study for 5 minutes, and then bang, there is a notification. We think it might be important, and there go the essential 2 hours of our life. When you are studying first thing you need to do is lock away your gadgets or remove social media notifications if gadgets are important for your study.

• Start with the most difficult subject first

You might think it is the most unusual thing to do because starting with the easiest subject can provide the satisfaction of finishing one subject. However, if you take the most difficult one first, you can reduce the burden of completing it later. It can also provide you with the confidence of completing another subject as you already have dealt with a hard one. 

• Test yourself periodically

Self-examination is another study habit that is effective for many people; it can help you analyze your abilities and skills and even determine your weakness. For example, if you take a self-test of all subjects and compare it, you can identify which subject is your weakness and which one is your strength.

• Create your learning style

At last, every person has their way of adapting to things and pace of learning things. You can identify what makes you learn faster and better. Build your strategy of good study habits and excel to become a happy, healthy, and successful person. 
Studying and gaining knowledge is a part of life, and it also is a flight to your future goal. Building a good study habit and creating your learning style can lead you towards that goal.

Frequently Asked Question 

Q1. What is the best study method?

Answer- Continue study for a long period, while staying on a single subject can work. Also, repeating the concept and memorizing it can work for many people. Rereading what you are reading and highlighting the important topics to revise later is also the most efficient way of studying.

Q2- How to improve study habits during a pandemic?

Answer- Pandemics have affected students' schedule, and they even have disrupted their will to study at home. For improving study habits, during this time, you can try to stay organized with a proper schedule and to-do list; also, you should try not to do two things at one time, such as cooking and studying, it will reduce concentration. It would be best to try things such as setting a schedule and planning group meets to motivate you; procrastination should be the first thing to be avoided. 

Q3- What study habits are ineffective?

Answer- Different methods of studying work for different students; however, some habits are ineffective for everyone, which is rerevising without understanding what you are learning, for some studying early morning, and others studying a late night is ineffective. A disorganized study material and study place also leads to ineffective trial to study. This procrastination, disturbed sleep schedule, distractive study place, and not maintaining a study plan are also ineffective study habits. 

Keep Learning

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• Why Is School Important
• Homework and  Why is it important