7 EASY STEPS ON BEING A PRODUCTIVE STUDENT
By Eniola Alo
Many times you feel like you’ve wasted a lot of hours doing nothing. Without the right tools for success, students can easily get frustrated, and confused and may even give up. You have to take things one step at a time. You’re in the right place! Achieve your goals by using these secrets of highly productive students.
- ASK FOR HELP: Don’t be afraid to reach out for help! Always reach out to people when you don’t understand something. No man is an island and you most likely will not survive alone in this tough world without people. When you’re confused or you don’t understand talk to people who know better.
- FOCUS ON ONE TASK AT A TIME: Even the best multi-taskers are only successful at juggling multiple projects for a while. To make sure you get it all done, focus on one item at a time. Finish studying before starting your term paper. If you are trying to read a book you can take it one chapter a day before going to bed if you’re quite busy. Creating these types of rules for yourself keeps you disciplined and focused.
- NO ALL-NIGHTERS: To prepare for a big exam, you may feel inclined to stay up all night and study. This habit, though widely practised, is extremely detrimental to your memory, energy and sleep schedule. Research shows that sleeping actually helps memory retention when students are preparing for a test. So instead of burning the midnight oil before your exams, study in 20-minute intervals throughout the day and then get a full eight hours of sleep before the big test.
- PRIORITIZE AND PLAN: The most productive business leaders in the world understand the importance of time management. In one day, they try to maximize every minute to create the highest amount of productivity. Look at your tasks, prioritize them in order and then plan out how you will spend your day make use of a calendar or diary and you can plan as much as every hour. It works for self-accountability. You will be amazed at how much you can achieve!
- REDUCE SCREEN TIME: While taking a break from studying is positive for your brain, too much screen time and social media may become a larger distraction. If you are too tempted by the lure of Instagram, TikTok, Twitter etc. use social media blocking apps on your device to block out the amount of time you want to study and restrict your access to those apps.
- AVOID PROCRASTINATING ON LARGE ASSIGNMENTS: It Kills Productivity! If all your energy is spent getting all the small, easy tasks completed, there isn’t much energy left for larger, more difficult tasks. This leads to last-minute stress, frustration, and assignments not done to their full potential. Get things started by creating a plan of attack for larger tasks early.
- READ BOOKS: Focus your time on reading books with a purpose. There’s nothing wrong with a good plot and immersive storyline; however, look to improve your personal development by reading some books that will get you thinking about your career path or improve your general skills and spiritual knowledge.
These tips are not “one size fits all” so experiment with yourself to see what works best. When you learn how to use your time efficiently, it will show in grades and confidence.