Basic Solutions for Bad Study Habit
•Balancing school and friends. This can be a challenge. Friendships are important but so is school. The best way to balance school and friends is to study together. Good friends will support your academic and future goals. You can also make friends with other people who are planning for college and taking the same classes as you. •Add interest to your reading assignments. To get through a long reading assignment, imagine yourself in the story. Get involved. Ask yourself, “What is important to remember about this section? ” You should always take notes or underline key sections and discuss the material with others in your class.
You can also create a study group and break the assignment into different sections. Each person can be responsible for closely studying one part of the text. The other parts you can skim or outline. Then get together as a group to share what you’ve learned. •Cramming before a test. Cramming before a test is always a bad idea. Start studying well in advance. Begin with an hour or two a day and then increase your study time as exams approach. •Don’t know where to start. Your challenge is to prioritize. With a big project, list all the things you have to do.
Then split the project into small, manageable chunks. Ask, “Which part is due first? Which part of the assignment is worth more points? Which task will take the most time to complete? ” Decide which tasks are most important and what order you’ll use to get things done. Then get started! The most important thing to remember is start early and work a little bit each day. You’ll be amazed at how much progress you make. •Staying up all night to study. Before a test, it is important to get enough sleep. Period. Make time to relax and unwind before each test.
Be sure to eat well, sleep well and maybe get some exercise. You’re more likely to do better on the test if you take care of yourself. •Not enough time to study. The trick to solving this problem is getting organized. Bring out all of your notes and textbooks. Identify the most important information and the things you don’t understand. Focus your study time and energy on learning those things. If you need extra help, ask a teacher or tutor. If after school activities are the problem, keep a calendar with game days, meetings, assignments and practice times.
Start assignments right when you get them, and use lunch hours and breaks to make extra progress. •Trouble remembering things. If you only have trouble sometimes, try connecting new information with your own examples and experiences. Use rhymes, poems or mental pictures to help remember important facts. Some people even make up songs to help them remember things. If you always have trouble remembering, no matter how long or hard you study, talk to your teacher or school counselor. They can talk with you about your specific problems and recommend strategies to help.
