As summer comes to an end, teachers, parents and children all are preparing to go back to school. With all the remote learning and being in the middle of a pandemic, this year going back to school might be a big relief for most of you. In fact, heading back to normal is a big relief for everyone! But it also means that you can expect to feel a little bit of excitement, a touch of apprehension and a whole lot of relief to meet your friends.
While you prep from your end to head back to school, we wanted to chip in as well. That’s why we thought this might be just the perfect time to share some good habits about studying and being a student in general. So, here are 5 habits that you need to quit now to make sure you excel and do well as a student.
This one is true for students as well as adults and we cannot emphasize this enough! While a lot of students consider this a badge of this is actually a very bad habit. Students and especially among friends, the lesser you sleep the cooler you are considered. But that is so not right if you want to excel in what you are doing. Yes, you might be able to pull an all-nighter and study with just 3 hours of sleep and still be able to make it to classes the next morning, but it is not good for your body and health.
In fact, you are doing more damage than good here. The human brain needs a minimum of 8 to 9 hours of sleep not just to relax but also to remove all the junk from the day and process and retain all the information. So basically everything that you studied is memorized by the brain and ingrained when you sleep on it. Also, you need sleep for better cognitive function and response so the next time you boast about making it with just 3 or fewer hours of sleep to your friend, think about this!
There are two things to this. You would either be starting your review way too near your test date or reviewing incorrectly. But here there is no one size fits all. You will have to figure out what works out best for you and how many hours you will need to finish all the study material.
Take stock of the situation before you begin. Don’t wait until it’s too close to the test date to begin your review. Begin in advance and make sure you keep going back to review what you learnt in regular intervals of time. Studies have shown that when you study something and then review it in regular intervals (like after another 4 days, then after a week and so on), your brain can remember and process all the information better.
Once again something that every student and even adults need to do. We are sure you have had that one friend who always boasts about how they study for 5 or 6 hours at a stretch. That is sure to make you feel that it’s amazing how he or she can concentrate and study for so long without taking breaks. But the reality is when you study or engage your mind for so long without taking any breaks, you are actually tiring your brain. Its ability to process and retain information is compromised and so is your health.
It’s important to take breaks to give your mind some rest as well as your eyes. At the same time moving around and taking a break refreshes your mind and body, helping you to focus and concentrate better.
While you should always aim to improve and be better, it is best to not expect everything to be perfect all the time. Like you need not always have that perfect spot in your room to study or need not always have that green marker that you love. Don’t get stuck up on things, just aim to be good at everything and do what will help you achieve your target.
You are unique and different in your own way. So study however it works for you. Yes, there will always be people you know or your friends or even articles like these that will give you advice on how to study and what to do and not to do. But only you know what works best for you. While what we or anyone advice might work for most people and would be the norm, you might find that it does not work for you. And that’s okay because everyone is different. Figure out a routine or create a structure and make a to-do list of what you want to achieve and by when. This always helps.
We understand that going back to school is not easy for everyone and this is just our bit to make things easier for you. It may not be possible to get rid of all the above 5 habits in one go, you can take it one step at a time. Start by sleeping more and then maybe work towards the rest. We hope you found this blog helpful and if you did then we would love to hear from you!
