30 Ways to Be Successful in School
1. Rely on systems, not motivation
Students who do well in school don’t wait until they’re in the mood to do a focused study session before they get down to work.Neither do they wait until they feel motivated before they start preparing for an exam.Instead, successful students rely on systems to ensure that they get the work done, even when they don’t feel like it.
(Keep on reading to find out what some of these systems are.)
2. Review any new information you’ve learned on the same day
This daily review won’t take long to complete, but it’s a vital step that ensures you stay on top of the material. Applying this tip will also help you to move the information to your long-term memory more quickly.
To be an effective student, write everything down.This includes homework to be completed, test and exam dates, project deadlines, competition dates, school and family events, etc.Don’t assume that you’ll be able to remember anything; write it all down to stay organised.This tip might sound extreme, but life only gets busier as you get older. So this tip will serve you well for the rest of your life.
4. Create a rough weekly schedule
It’s impossible to follow a schedule down to the minute, but it’s still helpful to create a schedule.Write down your rough weekly schedule based on your recurring commitments, e.g. school, extracurricular actitivies, family and social events, religious activities.Then block out regular time each week for homework and studying.
For example, your rough weekly schedule might state that you’ll do work on:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 7pm to 9:30pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 4pm to 7pm
Saturday and Sunday: 2pm to 5pm
5. Get rid of distractions before they become distractions
The biggest obstacle to doing well in school is distractions.To overcome distractions, you can’t depend on willpower. Few of us have the willpower necessary to fight off all the distractions that surround us in this digital era.Here are some ways to eliminate distractions before they become distractions:
Turn off notifications on your phone/tablet
Delete all the apps that distract you
Put your phone/tablet in another room before you start work
Set a really, really long password to unlock your phone/tablet
Restrict your Internet access
Have only one tab open in your browser at any one time
Find an accountability partner as you make these changes
Good posture improves your mood, and also enhances your memory and learning. So sit up straight, pull your shoulders back, and lift up your chin – and you’ll perform better in school. For more tips on improving your posture, check out this detailed article.
7. Don’t multitask when it isn’t effective
There are times when multitasking is effective, like:
Listening to that informative podcast while you torture yourself on a run.
Riding your bike while conjuring up dinner ideas for the week.
Listening to a speech you’re trying to memorize while you’re in the shower
In these instances, multitasking actually serves to maximize your time and, in many cases, improve your performance. The key is that the tasks are complementary rather than competitive, requiring the same cognitive effort or type of focus.
There are times when multitasking has dire effects on your productivity, like:
Watching TV while writing an essay
Browsing social media while listening or watching an educational film
Texting a friend while reading or studying
In these instances, the two tasks both require your attention and cognitive effort, but one requires significantly more effort and focus, making the tasks competitive tasks.
8. Cultivate the belief that intelligence isn’t a fixed trait
Research suggests that students who believe that they can become smarter actually do become smarter. Belief is that powerful. In other words, intelligence is a trait that you can develop over time. Don’t ever label yourself as “dumb” or “not academically inclined”, because with the right mindset you can become more intelligent.
9. Work in short blocks of time
I’ve found that most students can’t maintain a high level of focus for more than 45 minutes at a go. As such, I generally recommend working in 30- to 45-minute blocks, followed by a 5- to 10-minute break. Working in shorter blocks of time is more effective for the majority of students, rather than struggling to focus for a couple of hours straight.
Regular exercise helps you to remember information better, enhances your concentration, and makes you more creative.This is in addition to the other health benefits of exercise.What does this mean for students who want to be successful in school?Make exercise a fixed part of your weekly routine. Exercise three to four times a week, for at least 20 to 30 minutes each time.
Students who aren’t organized end up wasting precious time looking for items or notes, or doing last-minute work they forgot about.Here are some ways to become more organised:
Set a daily reminder to check if there’s any homework due the following day
Set reminders to start preparing for tests and exams
Use a planner or Google Calendar
Clear your desk at the end of every day
Use an app like Google Keep to do a “brain dump”
Or if you’re like me and prefer the old fashioned pen and paper, use a bullet journal (I actually use both my bullet journal and an Outlook calendar since my school .edu account can automatically save dates from emails from professors and administration, then I transfer those dates to my bullet journal. Sometimes I also work the other way around and when I know I have a due date coming up but a really busy day, I type a reminder into my Outlook calendar app with an alert to remind me to start on a task since I’m not always looking at my bullet journal and those alerts can be helpful when I lose track of time on a certain task)
12. Break big tasks into smaller ones
Big tasks seem complicated and overwhelming, which is why many students procrastinate. Break every big task down into smaller tasks. For instance, instead of deciding to work on your history paper, you might break the task down into the following smaller tasks:
Read Chapter 3 (textbook)
Do online research (5 to 10 articles)
When you work on the history paper, focus on completing one task at a time. This will make it less likely that you’ll procrastinate.
13. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night
Students who perform well are effective learners. As the research shows that sleep is a vital part of becoming an effective learner. Sleep boosts memory and enhances learning. So go to bed at roughly the same time every day, and make it a priority to get 8 hours of sleep a night. If you do this, I’m sure you’ll see an improvement in your academic performance.
14. Create a conducive studying environment
Here are some tips to do this:
Ensure that you have all the stationery, notebooks, etc. that you need
Ensure that the lighting in the room is suitable
Use ear plugs to block out noise if necessary
Put up one or two motivational quotes at your study area
Remove all distractions from the room
15. Take notes during class
I’m always surprised by how many students tell me that they don’t take notes in class.It’s important to take notes in class, because it helps you to pay attention and to learn the concepts better.I prefer taking notes in a linear, sequential manner. But there are several other note-taking systems that you can learn about here.
16. Ask a lot of questions
Asking your friends and teachers questions about what you’re learning is a great way to stay engaged. It also ensures that you understand the new material.
Don’t be afraid of asking silly questions. Besides, if you pay attention in class, your questions will likely be logical and insightful.
Research shows that the better your nutrition, the better your brain function.
And the better your brain function, the better your performance in school.
Here are some basic tips to eat more healthily:
Avoid artificial sweeteners
18. Manage your thoughts and emotions
Students who lose focus or motivation are typically discouraged. They’re often discouraged because they feel as if they won’t do well academically, so they lose hope.
How should you become more successful in school?
Manage your thoughts and emotions effectively – especially when faced with disappointment.
To do so, take a step back and ask yourself the following questions:
Are these thoughts helpful?
Am I taking things too personally?
How can I view the situation more positively?
Do I need to forgive the other person?
Do I need to forgive myself?
How can I be more compassionate toward myself?
What productive actions can I take to improve the situation?
Through answering these questions, you’ll adopt a more positive and resilient mindset.
19. Take a few minutes to prepare for each class
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Preparing for class is something I encourage every student to do.
Every night, think about the classes that you’ll be having the following day in school.
Take a few minutes to skim the textbook or notes, so that you’ll be familiar with what your teacher will cover the next day.
In addition, do a quick recap of the previous topic, because the new topic will likely build on what you’ve already learned.
This process won’t take long, but it will pay off in the long run.
20. Have a specific plan or objective for each study session
In the studyblr community and at my college, I hear many students saying that their goal is to “study hard”. This might sound good, but it actually means that they don’t have a specific objective or plan.This isn’t the way effective students approach academics.For each study session, set a clear objective as to what you intend to achieve. This might be to read through a set of notes thoroughly or complete 30 multiple-choice questions.
21. Use memory techniques
Memory techniques are powerful ways to learn information more quickly.
Here are some of the most useful ones I’ve come across:
22. Test yourself periodically
Don’t assume that just because you’ve read the notes and looked through some examples that you understand the material well.
For all you know, you might have been daydreaming during those study sessions.
Test yourself periodically. Do plenty of practice questions and keep a list of the mistakes you’ve made so that you won’t repeat those mistakes in the exam. If you have a hard time testing yourself, what you can do is write down things you find confusing when you do your daily review (see #2 above) and come back to those things you found confusing and try to explain them out loud without looking at your notes. If your textbooks have a short quiz after each chapter, this can also be a great way to test yourself. Alternatively, you can always ask your professor for some practice questions.
23. Take practice exams under exam conditions
In my psychology research methods course, we read about a study that found that students who took a practice exam under exam conditions performed better on the actual exam than students who took a practice exam without exam conditions (in this case listening to music). Both groups performed better than students who did not take a practice exam. I don’t recall the specific researchers who published this study, but it is covered in the book Research in Psychology: Methods and Design by Goodwin and Goodwin (2013).
It isn’t practical to do too many practice exams under exam conditions, because it’s time-consuming.
But before every exam, I recommend that you do at least two to three practice exams under exam conditions.
This will help you to prepare adequately, and will train you to deal with the time pressure of the exam too.
24. Hang out with people who are motivated and focused
No matter how much we’d like to think that we’re immune to peer pressure, we’re most definitely not.
Peer pressure affects people of all ages. This means that we must be intentional about the people we surround ourselves with.
Do you hang out with people who are pessimistic?
Are they always complaining?
Do they pursue excellence, or do they try to find shortcuts?
Spend time with people who are positive, motivated, focused, kind, generous and hardworking. You’ll find yourself developing those traits as the days and weeks go by.
25. Analyze the mistakes you make in tests and exams
It might not be a pleasant experience, but I encourage you to go through every mistake you make in tests and exams.
Analyse why you made each mistake. Ask yourself questions such as:
Was the mistake due to carelessness?
Did I have a poor understanding of a certain concept?
How can I make certain that I won’t repeat the mistake?
What do I need to do to be better prepared for future tests?
This analysis will help you to make continual progress in your academics.
26. Pre-commit to specific behaviors and habits
Pre-commitment is a strategy in which you commit in advance to certain desirable behaviors. This way, you won’t be tempted to do otherwise in the future.
Use the StayFocusd Chrome extension to restrict the amount of time you spend on certain websites
Ask your parents to change the password on your tablet, so that every time you want to use your tablet you need them to unlock it
Tell a friend that you’ll delete all your social media apps on your phone by the end of the day – if not, you’ll give your friend $100
Schedule a study session with a friend on Friday (or any day, really) and if there’s a party on Friday, you won’t be tempted to go since it would be rude to cancel on your friend last minute (this example works when you have motivated and focused friends, see #24)
You can even get more serious about pre-commitment by using a site such as StickK, which lets you set a goal with specific dates or thresholds, and if you don’t meet those deadlines or thresholds, they will charge a certain amount (which you choose) on your credit card. There’s been some research done on this site that suggests that loss aversion plays a role in keeping people accountable and explains why this site has been successful in helping people reach their goals.
Pre-commitment is a powerful strategy that all good students use.
More pre-commitment research studies can be found in chapter 9 of Pierce and Cheney’s (2013) Behavior Analysis and Learning book.
Just as important as keeping a to-do list is keeping a “done” list.
Write down all the things you’ve accomplished at the end of each day. This will help to remind you that you’ve indeed been productive, even if you don’t feel so.
In the long run, keeping a “done” list will help you to stay positive and motivated.
Doing well in school isn’t about getting good grades and outperforming your classmates. It’s about leading a balanced life that’s focused on contributing to others.
To lead a balanced life, it’s important to set aside time for relaxation.
Block out time for relaxation in your weekly schedule to ensure that you don’t burn out.
Taking it one step further, don’t just do the assigned homework.
Challenge yourself and do extra questions that require deep thinking. Look for online resources. Learn information that’s outside the syllabus by watching a related video or reading a popular press article related to the topic.
This will help you to see the wonder and beauty in all that you’re learning. You’ll also be reminded that getting better is its own reward.
30. Manage your stress and mental health
Students who don’t manage their stress well are more likely to experience performance anxiety and get worse grades.
To manage your stress levels:
Perform deep breathing exercises
Spend time with friends on a regular basis
Take a few minutes to reflect at the end of each day
Every Tuesday, my blog features at least one tip relevant to the studyblr community in some way, whether that’s covering productivity, studying, school, or even planning and bullet journaling. The tips that are submitted by others will be credited with their name, otherwise the tips are my own. You can submit tips here.
To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.
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Best Wishes,
Bujo Paper Creations
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