There is no such thing as an overnight success. Stories of overnight success are nothing short of being a myth. Most stories that circulate tend to be highly exaggerated. And no great thing is created suddenly. The same rule applies to being an excellent student. Sure, things for students have changed drastically over the last year. They too have had to adapt to an online teaching environment, stay cut off from their friends, and had to find ways to stay motivated throughout a global pandemic. Regardless, a lot of students have shown dedication and proven that with time, effort and perseverance nothing is impossible to achieve.

So what is it that these students are doing differently? Well, while it is true that there’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to being an effective student, there still are a few traits or habits that one can practice to become the kind of student we all want to be. Let’s take a look. 

Highly Organized:

Learning to organize and plan is a great skill to have. Students who tend to do better academically are more likely to have better organizational skills. Whether they are in the classroom or learning through a live teaching app, they plan out their study schedule and stick to it. Cutting out distractions is a huge part of staying organized. So, if you are looking to bring out some positive changes in your academic and school life, start with this. Follow through with your work, homework, and assignments. Staying organized will save you a lot of time as well, which you can utilize for hobbies or fun. Some ways in which you can remain organized are:

1. a) Making a weekly study plan
2. b) Keeping your notes in one place
3. c) Invest in a study binder
4. d) Know your distractions and eliminate them

Goal-Oriented and Motivated:

Students who do well in school tend to be goal-oriented and these goals are more intrinsically motivated rather than reward-oriented. So, if you want to do better in school, ask yourself, “What motivates me?”, “Why do I want this?” Once you have the answer to these questions, set a goal and work towards it. Most importantly remember to have a singular goal in mind. It could be, increasing your grade in a particular subject or sitting for longer study hours, or something else entirely. As rewarding as multi-tasking sounds, it really isn’t a great approach towards learning. You end up taking more than you can realistically handle and end up getting nothing done properly. Set up one singular goal, every time you sit and study and aim towards completing that.

Time Budgeting:

Now this one is slightly tricky because it is easier said than done right? Managing our time is something we all struggle with, but some students seem to have really nailed it. Managing or budgeting your time may seem like a herculean task at first, but the trick is to start small. You need not have an elaborate routine in place or every hour or every day scheduled. As mentioned earlier, start small. Have a demarcated time for yourself to study every day and don’t procrastinate on that. Academically achieving students do not procrastinate studying. Procrastination is like a siren’s song that is better left ignored. If you procrastinate your study session, your studying will become a lot less effective and you may not get everything completed that you need to. 

Revisions, Revisions, Revisions:

This might not seem like such a trick because who doesn’t know that you need to revise right? Well, we might know that we need to do this, but many times we just don’t do it. Now to have enough time for you to revise, it is important to have budgeted your time well to make space for revision time. Once you are done studying a topic, revise it again before starting a new one before each new study session.  Make notes and review them thoroughly. Revising your notes before each new study session will help you remember important points, and make sure your studying is targeted and effective. 

Having a Support System:

It is hard doing all of the above. Sometimes we cannot help feeling down or procrastinating. Other times it is just difficult to get anything done. Don’t worry, it isn’t just you, we all go through it sometimes. This is why it is important to have a strong support system. Your support system can comprise your friends or your family members or even a trusted teacher. Enlist their help to track your online class progress or test improvement and lean on them in times of need. Always remember to ask for help and take a break because if you do not feel mentally and physically well, you cannot be academically motivated either.