7 Study Habits That Will Help You Succeed

by Chad Agrawal

study-habitsYou've already heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, written by American businessman and author Stephen R. Covey, but what about the book on study habits?

Although it is not a book, this post will give you the best tools for one of the most tedious tasks students face: studying.

  1. Staying organized in the face of multiple school projects, assignments and exams is one of the easiest of the 7 habits. By downloading and purchasing e-textbooks instead of the traditional hard copy textbooks of yesteryear you not only save several trees from being chopped down but you can carry them all at once. They can be downloaded onto laptops as well as tablets and ereaders, making all your study materials organized and readily available.
  2. Note taking is the best way to help you stay on top of the lessons that your teacher or professor has taught you. Listen for key words being used throughout the lecture, and always write notes when a professor tells you to.
  3. Research via the Internet, sans the distractions and time suckers (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, online games, etc.). Some of the best resources for students are traditional search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Another medium that yields noteworthy results is Wikipedia (with caution), and if you're writing an essay that requires more descriptive verbiage, visit Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com for word play.
  4. Living a lifestyle that promotes health via exercise and proper nutrition will not only help your overall well being but your grades will be affected too. When you are eating the right kinds of foods such as fruits and vegetables, in addition to your regular diet, you are helping your mind and body attain the proper vitamins and minerals it needs to fuel your level of attention and get rid of aches in your body from sitting in classes all day.
  5. Understand how you learn, because everyone's learning style is different. Just because your group partner is able to simply listen to a lecture and retain the information with hardly any note taking doesn't mean that you are as adept to that particular "Auditory" learning style. You may be a Visual learner, who is more receptive to visual aids. Or you could be a Tactile leaner who enjoys getting right in the middle of the lesson through a hands-on approach. Determine your learning style by thinking about how you best retain information then incorporate that style into your study habits. You'll find that studying can be easy if you use your own learning style.
  6. It's hard enough to get started studying, let alone picking the perfect place to study. Many students opt for bustling 24-hour coffee shops while others prefer studying in the school library. Whatever your learning style or level of privacy while studying, pick a place to study where you have control over your environment. Making a study area in your home will help you focus on your assignments and you will feel comfortable in your own space.
  7. Among the 7 Habits to incorporate into your study regime, this one is the most important but is often forgotten: talk with your teachers and professors. What better way is there to learn a new, exciting subject than by talking to the person that has the most knowledge on it? When you investigate a subject with your teacher, you are gaining more knowledge from a one-on-one conversation than you have gotten in a larger classroom setting. This is also a good way for students that aren't privy to speaking up in class to ask questions to approach their teachers in a quieter, less pressured environment.

How will you incorporate these seven study habits to help you succeed in the classroom of life? Apply all or just a few of these study habits to your regular routine to continue your educational growth all semester long.

This post was written by Chad Agrawal

Chad Agrawal is the founder of CCTS, helping students transfer from community college to Ivy League, tier 1 or anywhere else by following this community college guide.

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