hey guys! i just wanted to share some tips on how I became a straight a student. i know grades should not be an obsession but I do think they should matter to a certain extent.
Now your grades should not define who you are but if you want to further your academic career, you came to the right place.
Tip #1: Find motivation and display it!
when i was little, my biggest motivation was to make my parents proud. now older, i know that is not the healthy but that did motivate me to a lot of things like focus in school. but yours can be anything! what i like to do is go on pinterest and search up images that motivate me and add all it into a collage. I put this collage as my wallpaper on my computer so i can be reminded of it. you can print it out and frame it too!
how to make a vision board!
1. search up motivating photos on pinterest (ex. your dream job, places you want to visit, ect.)
2. then go to canva and arrange them how you want to them.
if you don’t want to make a whole wallpaper, you can make a pinterest board!
check out mine here for inspo.
you cannot be a straight a student if you do not know where your assignments are. you have to have a filing system—you cannot put papers into your bag. if you are not into the big filing folders or “each folder per class”
My filing system is this:
i bring one folder to school: in that folder i keep all my homework from different classes as well as notebook paper.
then i have a 5 subject notebook i take my notes in. i am going to go indept on how i take notes in a later blog post but i rewrite my notes when i get home.
then i have a science, math, and spanish notebook that i keep at home. depending on what classes you need notes it, you can buy a notebook to that class and keep it at home to study with.
Tip #3: Start using a planner
you need to start using a planner! it will save you from missing deadlines and keep you on track. you can use a physical or digital planner—I use both. My digital planner is my study life and for my physical planner i use my bullet journal.
it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does have to be efficient and helpful. the purpose of your planner is to be useful and if you don’t use it, then how can you be mad when you miss a deadline?
Tip #4: DO NOT CRAM , instead plan out your review.
I am not going to lie, I do cram from time to time. And sometimes I do a get an amazing grade and sometimes I don’t. But I learned that when I plan my review and space it out, I tend to better. I posted a blog post on how I revise here! But if you plan out your reviews ahead of time, your brain would retain the information longer and process it better.
I use the application Anki to help me review flashcards! Now I got more into depth in my How i revise post but basically Anki plans out what you need to review that day for you. It is completely free on computers!
Tip #5: Set up a distraction free study area (and make it cute so ur inclined to study)
Let’s be honest, if you are not motivated to study somewhere, are you really going to study there? Hence, setting up an aesthetically cute study area! Now, this does not have to be something straight from Pinterest, it could literally be a clean desk with a pencil cup.
But make sure you also have everything you need! Like water or the homework you need to get done (sounds silly but i’ve done it before) This reduces your chances of getting up and getting distracted.
Now how would one apply this to their life? These are habits and habits need to be formed. You cannot implement this tips all in one day and expect them to stick. You need to slowly integrate this into your studying routine. This took me 3 years to implement and I am still working on it to this day. You need to trust the process and yourself.
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