7 Habits Of Highly Effective Students in 2023
Attending classes with a backpack only qualifies you to become a regular student; your parents may be happy that you’re in school or college, and you might be proud of yourself but are you really a successful student? In this post, you will learn 7 habits that every student must master in order to become a valedictorian.
It is time to accept that, as a student, you are judged based on your academic performance. Not everybody possesses the same mind; some grasp things faster, while some take their sweet time. Regardless, no student is terrible; they just aren’t prepared to give it their all yet. If your goal is to become a valedictorian, analyze the habits listed in this post and slowly incorporate them into your life. In time, you will be titled a genius, and people will ask you how you did it—let’s begin!
Habit #1: Be Organized
I cannot highlight the importance of being organized enough. As a student, your greatest enemy is time; when you waste it in finding things, you set yourself up for failure. A lot of people struggle with the lack of organization. You can open the door to your dorm room and instantly realize why you lag in class or activities.
Being organized is a habit of self-made millionaires; make it yours, and you might also join their ranks. However, let’s stick with becoming a valedictorian first, shall we? Being organized means, you shouldn’t own things you don’t use regularly. Get rid of everything you don’t need and empty your space. A. A. Milne, the author of Winnie The Pooh and many successful children’s books, said, “Organizing is something you do before you do something so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” (1)
Clean your space and keep it tidy. Assign a place to each item you own and put them back after use. For instance, all your files and papers should be in one place so you don’t waste hours finding them when you need something. Your environment dictates your future. Create a productive environment that inspires you to study.
Habit #2: Minimize Distractions
A distracted mind cannot achieve focused results. In order to be the best, you need to pay the price beforehand and get away from things that distract you. Your friends who always go out partying and never study, ask them not to disturb you until the finals. Avoid scrolling through social media platforms like TikTok and Reels. They bring nothing but clutter and destroy your attention span. In short, anything that inhibits you from reaching your highest goal must leave immediately.
Habit #3: Physical Exercise
Success in any realm requires physical strength. If you’re weak, you will get tired soon and give up after a few weeks. Train your body to be strong and allocate a tiny portion of your day to physical exercise—it will be worth it and make you more productive.
According to a study published by J.C. Coulson, J. McKenna, and M. Field in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, “Participants noted a 72 percent improvement in time management and workload completion on days when they exercised.” (2) It’s time to use your school’s gym for its actual purpose.
Habit #4: Scheduling Or Time Blocking
Nothing gets done unless it’s scheduled. The classes you reach on time are only successful because they are scheduled at a particular hour of a specific day. Regardless of your mood swings, the class isn’t postponed, and somehow, you manage to attend it.
Hence, it is a definitive indication that time-blocking works—numerous studies also support this thesis. Thus, before getting started, take a pen and paper and jot down your entire schedule. It is always a great idea to have an overview of your tasks and break them down further. For instance, write down how much you wish to cover in a month. Now break it down into four parts, one for each week. Later, segregate each week into daily tasks. Therefore, when you achieve your daily tasks, you can rest assured that your monthly goal will be accomplished.
Once you have a task, allot time to it. It is said that your task fills in the time you assign to it. So give yourself a time slot within which you complete the task. For instance, Topic A will be completed in 2 hours (6-8 pm). When the clock hits 6, you know what you must do—no excuses, get to work!
Habit #5: Prioritize Self-Management, Not Time Management
Time management is a myth. You have no superpower and cannot control time. You can only control yourself, your actions, and your decisions. Therefore, do what you can to manage yourself according to time. When a topic is scheduled at 6 pm, you should be at your desk at 5:55 pm with your book.
When your friends call you for a quick gaming session, say NO. When your parents ask you to do something, be polite and tell them you have a task to accomplish. It will take a lot of discipline initially, but once you get the hang of it, managing yourself will become second nature. You might have to say NO to many cool and exciting things, but the result will always be positive.
Habit #6: Focus Sessions and Note Taking
When creating a schedule, never overburden yourself with long study sessions. Nobody can focus on anything for 18 hours straight. You need to understand your capabilities and set short focus times. During these ultra-focus sessions, you should be unreachable. It must only be you and your books. Keep your phone on airplane mode, away from reach.
Get in the zone and take a lot of notes as you study. When you read something, your mind may not fully harness it. However, when you write things down, it clearly indicates to your mind that this is important. Hence, your mind works magic and stores the information for later use. Never exclude note-taking from your study sessions; it will only make you sharper.
Habit #7: Revise and Practice
Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” The more you practice, the better you get. Revise what you study every day and the following day as well, so it gets imprinted in your mind.
Malcolm Gladwell outlined the 10,000 hours rule in his book, Outliers; he asserted that “the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing, albeit in the correct way, for at least 10 000 hours.” It does not mean you will study each topic 10,000 times because it will take forever to complete your syllabus. The purpose of this inclusion is merely to set an example that you should practice more than usual—when done successfully, you will never be scared of exams again.
These 7 Habits will turn you from an average student into a valedictorian. How many of the above-listed habits will you incorporate into your life? Let us know in the comments section below.
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