Five tips to excelling in school

Do you think of yourself as a smart student?

Probably not.

If you’re like most students, you probably feel that you take some time to grasp new concepts.

Or that you don’t perform up to expectations because of exam stress.

I know…

It seems as if successful students are born smart. No matter what else is going on in their personal lives or extracurricular activities, they always get good grades.

I was a straight-A student throughout my academic career, but I’ll be the first to declare that grades aren’t everything. Grades are only one part of your education.

I now realise that successful students aren’t necessarily more intelligent than other students.

They’re just more disciplined and focused, and they’ve developed winning habits.

So even if you don’t feel as if you’re a smart student, don’t worry.

In this article, I’m going to share with you how to be successful in school, even if you don’t think of yourself as a good student.

1. Rely on systems, not motivation

Students who do well in school don’t wait until they’re in the mood to study before they get down to work.

Neither do they wait until they feel motivated before they start preparing for an exam.

Instead, successful students rely on systems to ensure that they get the work done, even when they don’t feel like it.

(Keep on reading to find out what some of these systems are.)

2. Review any new information you’ve learned on the same day

Applying this tip will also help you to move the information to your long-term memory more quickly.

This daily review won’t take long to complete, but it’s a vital step that ensures you stay on top of the material.

3. Write everything down

To be an effective student, write everything down.

This includes homework to be completed, test and exam dates, project deadlines, competition dates, school and family events, etc.

Don’t assume that you’ll be able to remember anything; write it all down to stay organised.

This tip might sound extreme, but life only gets busier as you get older. So this tip will serve you well for the rest of your life.

4. Create a rough weekly schedule

It’s impossible to follow a schedule down to the minute, but it’s still helpful to create a schedule.

Write down your rough weekly schedule based on your recurring commitments, e.g. school, extracurricular actitivies, family and social events, religious activities.

Then block out regular time each week for homework and studying.

For example, your rough weekly schedule might state that you’ll do work on:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 7pm to 9:30pm
• Tuesday and Thursday: 4pm to 7pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 2pm to 5pm

5. Get rid of distractions before they become distractions

The biggest obstacle to doing well in school is distractions.

To overcome distractions, you can’t depend on willpower. Few of us have the willpower necessary to fight off all the distractions that surround us in this digital era.

Here are some ways to eliminate distractions before they become distractions:

• Turn off notifications on your phone/tablet
• Delete all the apps that distract you
• Put your phone/tablet in another room before you start work
• Set a really, really long password to unlock your phone/tablet
• Restrict your Internet access
• Have only one tab open in your browser at any one time
• Find an accountability partner as you make these changes