10 Habits of Highly Effective Students

They know when to say, “Sir, please explain again!”

You can either think of your ego or think of your future. The fact remains that it takes a lot of humility and/or self-confidence to raise your hand in front of the entire class and accept that you do not understand a question, statement, theory, hypothesis, etc.

Or, you can sit quietly in class and not ask questions, but at the end of the day, this is the type of habit that will affect your study and pile up knowledge that you do not understand.

And the one time you will find yourself in the exam room, scratching your head and wishing you’d cleared your doubts instead of holding on to your ego in the classroom.

Never procrastinate study sessions

Yes, it’s easier to procrastinate than to actually work, but guess what? Procrastinating forces you into time constraints, thus making you “rush” your study sessions and cram your work. And this doesn’t help one bit. This is on the list of 10 habits of highly effective students because "do today" is the most crucial rule for efficient study.

Make great study plans

Having a schedule of when to study and when to party (so to speak) is essential. And keep in mind that creating a schedule is not enough – you have to be diligent enough to stick to it, no matter what the temptations around you. Sure, you can study according to your own convenience at schedules that aren’t set, but guess what? Success is created out of habit, not whimsy.

Cramming doesn’t help

If you thought 6 cups of hot coffee and an all-nighter is going to save your ass before exams, you are wrong. Sure, a lot of students might swear by this method, but how much of that cramming can you recall right after you walk out of the examination room? Zilch, which shows how "effective" this method really is. One of the 10 habits of highly effective students involves spacing their study time so as to not exhaust their brain and body and bring them to a point of saturation. Always have short but regular sessions of studies, which brings us to our next point.

Take breaks and push through when possible

Breaks ARE important. Almost all students have, at one time or the other, hit a wall after hours of studying. This is bound to happen, since our brain cannot take a continuous influx of information without feeling overwhelmed. And during these times of frustrations, breaks become a boon.

Do whatever it takes to refresh your mind, like taking a walk or watching a funny video on YouTube. And when you return from your break, give your studies your 100% attention. You will notice what a great difference that makes.

Make good use of study groups

Group studies are good if your group’s full of genuine students, the type that actually want to study and not waste everybody else’s time. Study groups prove to be one of the best 10 habits of highly effective students.

For example, when you struggle with a topic, others, who have a better understanding, help you out. It saves time when everybody helps each other out and internalizing the subject matter becomes easier. What's more, if everybody has the same assignment, it means all students can put their heads together and complete it in, say, 30 minutes which would have otherwise taken an hour and a half.

Keep away from distractions

Distractions are easy, and even the slightest of distractions, like sounds of TV, presence of cell phone, loud noises on the street, talkative cousins and the like, can make you unable to focus on your studies and forget your train of thoughts. So, difficult as it may sound, keep away from all types of distractions. Turn off the TV, put your cell phone in another room, ask noisy kids to play outside, close windows and doors of your room…….

Begin with the most difficult subject

You will always notice this as one of the most important 10 habits of highly effective students, since it's easier to focus on study once you’ve finished the most difficult subject. It also clears a psychological block in your mind which makes it easier for you to concentrate on your studies.

Keep specific study goals

Goals are necessary for you to understand how much time and energy you’re spending, like on one chapter of a book as opposed to the other. For instance, you can keep a goal of finishing two chapters of Spanish in 2 hours, as opposed to spending 4-5 hours a day on just one chapter. Goals improve efficiency and save you a lot of time and effort.

Review class materials over the weekend

For this, you have to always make notes when in class. During weekends and holidays, review your work to see how much of them you've understood and where you still have doubts. This helps to refresh what you have learnt and clear your doubts timely. This is an easy way to help you master and memorize all the needed knowledge, so you won't find yourself struggling to recall which equation is needed to solve the last question on your exam paper.

So, did you like our list of 10 habits of highly effective students? What are your most effective habits?