It’s the beginning of a new academic year! Students all around Australia are beginning a new year of study, which means it’s a great time to be talking about how to establish good study habits. I often find that students want to talk about study habits at the end of the year, right when it’s crunch time and stress and anxiety are at an all-time high. But the best time to be thinking about study habits is now, at the beginning of the year, so that you can set yourself up for success. So today we’re talking all about study habits!
I think one of the most important things to know at the beginning of the year is that when you’re trying new behaviours it can take time for it to convert to habit. This period of establishing new routines and rituals can feel frustrating and can come with lots of conflicting feelings. These experiences are normal and OK. Be prepared to support yourself with lots of self-compassion and kindness while you build your new habits. You’ll be glad you did.
Think about why you want to change the way you study
Before you begin, it’s helpful to consider why you want to change the way you study. Do you have a particular year 12 score in mind? Is there are university course you’re wanting to get into? Do you want to be more efficient with your study and get distracted less? Do you want better grades? Whatever the reason, make it clear in your mind. Write it down and put up inspirational images and statements near your study station. There will be times when studying will feel hard, and you will want to be doing something else. At these times your brain will want to choose the most pleasurable activity with the most instant gratification! You’re only human. You will need to be able to easily remind yourself why you want to work hard so that you can stay motivated and stay at your desk.
Set up your study space
It goes without saying that where you study is important. Try and set yourself up with a space just for studying (if possible), keep it tidy and organised with all the things you need. The idea here is that it makes it easy to begin studying, because you don’t have to figure out where you’ll study and you don’t have to clean up first. Also, your brain will like the routine and will start to associate the behaviour of studying with that being in that space. Handy!
Build a routine before you even begin
Your brain just loves rituals and routines. When you build a pre-study routine, you’re giving your brain the message ‘we’re about to study’ which enables transitions into study a bit easier. You could try a routine like: come home and get a snack, unpack your bag, get a drink to take to your study station, sit down and write a to-do list. Once that’s all done – time to study.
Minimise distractions
This is a big one, especially in this digital age. Put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ and move it out of reach and out of sight – for some people this might mean out of the room. Turn off notifications and consider using software that blocks certain apps and websites for the period of your studying. If you’re working on a computer, consider how your desktop is distracting you – are there lots of distracting apps? Do you have your favourite pages bookmarked across the top of your screen? Do some curating and remove all distractions from sight and make sure that instead, you have your academic apps and websites right on hand. You might also want to work using full screen mode, so that the only thing you can see is your document. It’s hard to set limits around technology, especially when studying can feel lonely, but you will study better this way.
Do your exam reviews before you do your homework
It seems logical that when planning your study, you would focus on your homework first before progressing to lesson revision and exam preparation, given the due date for homework is much closer than exams. Right? Well, it might be better to flip it! Most of us do our best work early in the afternoon and as the study session goes on, become fatigued and less motivated. So, guess what happens to the non-mandatory exam revision plan… booted for another day. Try getting your lesson revision done first for a set amount of time, and then progress to your homework. Because homework has a deadline, you’re more likely to push through tiredness to get it done, meaning you’ve achieved all your study goals. Hooray!
Watch for unhelpful thoughts
Tasks associated with performance often come with unhelpful, critical inner thoughts and study sessions are the perfect time for those unhelpful thoughts to come intruding into our minds. When they go unchecked, they often underpin procrastination, avoidance, stress and anxiety when studying. Try observing your thoughts, especially if anxiety and stress creeps in or you notice the urge to avoid your study. Write down the thoughts you observe and any associated emotions and urges. Speak to yourself kindly, remind yourself of your goals and redirect your attention back to your study. If you need to, keep a running list of your stressors so that after you’ve finished studying you can come back and think about them and problem solve any issues that are playing on your mind.
Consider working in the morning
A lot of the time, students find themselves dragging themselves through an evening trying to get all their work done, and then, after getting to bed late have a hard time getting up in the morning. A playful, and very effective strategy is to divide your work between morning and night. Try getting out of bed just a bit earlier in the morning and knock out some work before you’ve even left the house. We are often most productive and efficient in our studying first thing, and not only will it help you stay on top of your work, but you will move into your day with a very powerful feeling of achievement.
Start with just 5 minutes
A lot of us make grand plans for studying, but get stuck trying to get started. If that’s you and you’re having trouble getting started, just commit to working for 5 minutes. Set a timer, pick a task and get going. At the end of the 5 minutes, review. Most people will keep going because the hardest part is not the study itself but getting started. If you don’t feel like you can keep going, stop and do it again tomorrow. Even though you might not have completed all your work you have started building healthy study habits. Congratulations!
Don’t forget to ask for help
Your friends, family and teachers are there to help you, so reach out when you have a question or need some assistance. You might also consider a tutor, joining a homework club or study group, booking in 1:1 time with your teachers or building a study pact with friends to keep one another accountable. Accessing support not only helps with performance, but with the whole academic experience. It’s worth it.
Best of luck!
If you or someone that you know needs help with study habits, academic stress or performance, contact our administration team on (03) 9882 8874 or visit our website at melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au.