Welcome to this blog on the habits of successful students in 2021!
I usually write posts of success in life, but I thought I would change it up with this post and write about success in school instead.
As much as success in life is what we all really want, success in school is extremely critical as well. I agree with the fact that it’s not as important as being successful in life, but I can’t disagree with the fact that success in school may lead to success in life.
At the time I’m writing this, I’m a few months into my freshman year of high school. It’s been successful so far, and I’ve definitely been enjoying it. I’ve been able to keep my sleep schedule intact despite homework, come up with a study routine that works for me, and stay organized with all my classes.
After being virtual for around 2 years and going back, I have seen some changes in the way students behave and respond in school. Disregarding the awful TikTok trends going on, I’ve noticed that some students genuinely just don’t care about school and their grades. This is why I was inspired to write this blog and hopefully make a difference in your school experience.
All teenagers can be successful students; all it takes is an effort to do so. Are you willing to complete your homework, take notes, and prepare for tests? Hopefully, the answer is yes.
Without further ado, here are 10 habits of successful students that you can follow to be one too:
1. Get organized
The first habit of being a successful student is being organized. This can be in various ways.
- Knowing what you have to do: You should use a planner to keep track of your homework and what’s due on what day. Without some sort of list/planner, you might forget you have to do something. If you’re interested, be sure to check out this academic planner from Amazon!
- Having all your materials: There are some people I know that forget some of their materials at home and it causes problems when they need it in school. Always make sure you have a pencil/pen and all your notebooks you need!
- Your environment: When you come back home and do homework, it helps if your room and desk are neat and clean. This way, there are less distractions around you and you can start hustling immediately.
2. Don’t multitask
Secondly, don’t multitask! You may think that by multitasking, you are saving time. However, that is not true at all.
Trust me. One time, I tried doing biology notes and math problems at the same time, but I ended up getting confused on both assignments.
By doing one thing at a time, you can focus on one concept at a time and get a good understanding of it.
3. Get enough sleep
Too many students go to bed late and attend classes without getting sufficient rest. Students that get their homework done early and get a good night’s sleep are going to be more alert during class time. The National Sleep Foundation recommends teenagers (ages 14-17) get 8-10 hours of sleep per night, with this figure even higher for younger children. Successful students will plan their schedule in a responsible way that enables them to go to bed at a reasonable time. Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for teens’ development, so ensuring you’re giving your brain the time it needs to recharge is another great habit of successful students.
https://www.tutordoctor.com/blog/2019/february/10-habits-of-successful-students/
4. Make a schedule
Be sure to make a schedule of what you have to do daily and weekly.
Daily: This first starts by recognizing what time of the day you are more productive. Do you work better in the morning, in the afternoon, or night? Are you more productive in 90-minute blocks or 30-minute spurts? Schedule your time by knowing what times you want to work, relax, eat, and sleep.
Weekly: When you have to complete a long research project, it’s helpful to split it up into multiple days. The first day could be for the planning, the second for the research, and the third for the outline. Know what you want to work on on different days, so you have a purpose and goal for each day of the week.
5. Don’t procrastinate
At school, I see so many people not complete their homework on time just because they were up watching TikToks instead of doing their work. If you do that, that needs to stop. Just do your work!
Yes, homework is hard and takes a lot of time. But in the end, it helps us learn. And, not completing work on time is not helping our grades either.
Stop procrastinating and get to work, whether this means deleting social media apps on your phone or breaking the work up in smaller pieces!
6. Pay attention & take notes
“Taking notes will not only keep you more engaged during class, but will also help you narrow down what you need to study when exam time rolls around. It’s much easier to reread your notes than to reread your entire textbook!” (opportunity.org)
To add on, you should take notes on paper because it’ll help you memorize the content more. I know that typing the notes on a computer is much faster, but faster isn’t the key here. Effectiveness is.
When it comes to tests, when you pay attention in the classes before, you’ll be able to know the answer as teachers usually teach what’s going to come on the test.
7. Ask questions
I wanted to add this one because it seems like most of us shy away from asking questions in class. However, I don’t get why. Asking questions clarify something we’re confused about, helping us in our assignments and tests. Without asking questions, we’re still left confused about the concept.
So, don’t shy away from asking a question in class. It only helps you and other students understand what you’re learning better.
And, it doesn’t always have to be from a teacher. You can ask your friends, siblings, or parents if you’re unsure about something and you think they might be able to help you!
8. Have integrity
Basically, don’t cheat.
Just don’t.
You might get caught, so you’re risking a 0% rather than a low grade.
And, even if you don’t get caught, you are hurting your performance in the long run by passing up an opportunity to learn.
So, have integrity and do the right thing.
9. Study
This one might be obvious, but did you know that there’s a right and a wrong way to study? Review your material several days ahead of time, in small chunks, and in different manners (for example, write flashcards one day and take practice tests the next). In other words, don’t cram.
https://opportunity.org/learn/lists/10-habits-of-successful-students#.YWIt3yjYqEs
Sometimes, I don’t have the motivation to start studying and get confused where to start. When this happens, I tell myself I’m going to one small thing – like just reread my notes or do 1 practice page. Remember that hard work pays off, so you’ll be rewarded for the time and effort you’ve spent studying.
10. Enjoy
Last but not least, enjoy! School is definitely hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Hang out with friends and make the most out of your middle school, high school, or college experience.
If you go to school with a negative mindset, you’re not going to learn anything new. However, if you go to school with a positive mindset, you can have fun, learn, and be your best self!
Take every lesson as an opportunity to learn, and reward yourself for all the hard work and effort you put into school!
The Takeaway:
We all think that only “smart” people can be successful in school. But, that’s not true at all. Anyone can be smart AND successful; it all depends on how much you’re willing to work to attain it.
High school is not a breeze, that’s for sure. There are hours of homework to complete, tons of studying to be done, several pages of notes to take, and more. But, that’s the problem. We think of it as work rather than opportunities to learn and expand our knowledge. Learning takes effort, but in the end, it’s all worth it.
If you’ve been finding yourself struggling to keep up, here are 10 very helpful habits to start adopting and hopefully make your high school experience better and more successful:
- Get organized
- Don’t multitask
- Get enough sleep
- Make a schedule
- Don’t procrastinate
- . Pay attention & take notes
- Ask questions
- Have integrity
- Study
- Enjoy
All of these habits are crucial to contributing to high school success, so try adopting these as soon as you can and see how they work out for you!
I also wrote this blog on success in high school about a year ago, and it’s more on tips to be successful rather than specific habits. Be sure to check it out!
Not only that, I highly recommend checking out this video on an example of a productive school morning routine to get an idea of what it looks like! Of course yours’ will be different, but it’s always fun to see what other people do in the morning to be productive before school!
Good luck in school, and don’t forget to focus on all the learning opportunities you have!
If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to type below in the comments!
