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The time we spend as students is one of the most formational periods in life. At the same time, it is immensely different from school years and adult life.
Keeping the study load, campus, and social life in check can be as challenging as it sounds. And the worst part? It doesn’t come with a handbook for beginners.
This article will provide 10 life-changing habits for students that will help make the whole experience more effective and enjoyable.
10 Life-Changing Habits For Students
Manage Your Time More Effectively
As a student, a big part of your day is occupied by classes. This leaves a limited amount of time to be distributed to studying, doing assignments, spending time with friends, and resting. Therefore, every minute of your day is precious.
Unless you are Doctor Strange, you need another plan to make this work. And that is building the habit of managing your time effectively. The following are habits of successful students that may help you better organize your time.
How to do that:
- Prioritize your time – Put your activities in categories according to their urgency and importance
- Be realistic about your time – Be aware of how much time each activity takes
- Use planners and reminders
- Avoid stuffing everything into one day/ study session
- Avoid multitasking
- Don’t procrastinate – Practice self-discipline
Find Your Optimum Study Routine
If you are a student, you should be living under a rock to not be aware of the million study routines promoted by productivity influencers.
There is a significant number of study routines, many of which are science-backed. Many successful students use the Pomodoro Technique or Spaced Repetition.
Pro tip: There are many resources online from which to draw inspiration and information. I would recommend starting by checking Ali Abdaal’s YouTube channel or “The Only Study Guide You’ll Ever Need” by Jade Bowler.
Even more important than finding out about these productive study routines is to determine what works best for you. Not all students function the same way.
Some prefer longer study sessions to shorter ones, others like studying in groups, etc. The best way to discover your optimum routine is to experiment.
How to do that:
- Notice what your current study routine is – Determine the pros and cons
- Pinpoint what you need from a study routine
- Decide what you expect to gain from implementing a study routine
Have A Sleep Schedule
I know this probably sounds like the less college-y thing to do, but sleeping is rudimental for productivity and mood regulation.
By having and maintaining a sleep schedule, you train your system (circadian rhythm) to feel sleepy and alert at certain hours of the day.
The more you remain faithful to this sleep schedule, the more your sleep will be restful and of good quality.
This does not mean that you should not go out. But integrating rest and fun time earlier into the day can be a life-changing habit for students.
Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle
“Mens sana in corpore sano,” meaning “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. Building the habits of successful students can be an energy-consuming process.
It is impossible to maintain high performance indefinitely without taking good care of your physical and mental needs. Therefore, prioritizing self-care can be a life-changing habit for students.
How to do that:
- Eat well – Make nutrient-filled food choices
- Hydrate yourself often
- Implement some daily, soft, and enjoyable exercise
- Define what self-care is for you – Do something to take care of yourself every day
- Do not disregard the importance of resting
Regulate Social Media Use
Reducing social media usage can be a life-changing habit for students. It will not only save you tons of time but also promote your mental fortitude and brain clarity.
Social media can become a rabbit hole that can easily eat out both your time and brainpower. Have you noticed how 5-min breaks on TikTok quickly turn to 30 minutes of mindless scrolling? Do not get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with that, and we do need a change of program occasionally.
But mindless scrolling can be mind-numbing, result in difficulty focusing, or increase phone addiction. It can also generate feelings of envy and inferiority by promoting negative social comparison.
Instead of randomly checking TikTok or Instagram whenever you feel the urge, you can designate specific hours of the day for using social media. This way, you will reduce your screen time and the distraction from your other activities.
Engage In Extracurricular Activities
The fact that you are a student does not mean that all you will do is study. That is not as healthy and effective as you might think.
No matter how much your studies satisfy you, you still have more needs to take care of. Like socializing, going out, doing a hobby, reading a book, or anything that fills your cup.
These are the things that can replenish your energy and rejuvenate you emotionally. These are also the things we disregard most easily when we have busy schedules. One habit of successful students is to plan these activities just like they do with studying.
Plan on doing at least one fun and enjoyable activity daily. It can be brief and simple, but it will be something to expect every day.
Make The Most Out Of Your Classes
If classes don’t have compulsory attendance, it is easy to skip for an extra hour of sleep. However, the information you find in a book sometimes cannot compare with the knowledge packed in a single class.
There is always something to take from the experience of the tutors that cannot be transmitted through simple text.
Classes also allow you to pose questions and participate actively. That is why attending lectures can be a life-changing habit for students like you.
A great way to help information from the classes stick is to prepare for the lesson the previous day. When you listen to the lecture, it is then easier for the new knowledge to imprint. This can also reduce your need for taking notes.
The important thing is to find the ideal way of participating that suits you. You may find it helpful to take notes. Otherwise, you can just write down a few key points and pay close attention instead.
Pro tip: Taking notes can be overrated. Nowadays, you can easily find notes on any subject online.
Have An Active Role
The more you engage in college-related activities, the more you become interested in student life.
To make the most out of the learning process, you can actively participate in activities that can increase and broaden your academic knowledge.
Like doing assignments, being part of study groups, and collaborating in publishing scientific papers. This is absolutely a life-changing habit for students since it allows them to explore their interests and build connections in their academic circles.
But there is more than that. You can also participate in events like helping host conferences or volunteer in college groups. This habit can help you build social skills and make new peer acquaintances.
Limit Distractions
This goes for when you are studying and throughout the day. Firstly, it is important to maintain a neutral space during study sessions, without much to stimulate you visually or auditory. Keep electronic devices (a.k.a. your phone) at bay.
You can put your phone on silent mode and inform your people that you are about to go into a study session. If you are studying on your computer, you can choose to not be shown notifications.
A great trick for mental focus is to listen to study-appropriate music. Lo-fi music takes up the background space in your mind, numbing the noise but not actively engaging your thoughts.
Another study habit of successful students is keeping their workspace organized in a specific way at all times. They also avoid doing any other activities there, like eating or chatting.
This effect trains the mind to link the workspace to “work-related” activities. It is, therefore, easier for the brain to enter a focused state whenever being in that place.
Find Like-Minded People
Have you noticed the habit of successful students of usually hanging out with people who are more or less like-minded? It is always important to find familiar people who may share similar interests, aspirations, and lifestyles to yours.
Around like-minded people, chances are that your personal and academic struggles will be heard and understood. In their company, you may feel challenged (in a healthy manner) and inspired to evolve and improve.
You also may be able to form more compatible study groups and help each other out with notetaking, assignments, etc. Finally, it is more likely that your daily programs will be more similar, making it easier to hang out and stay in touch.
Conclusion On Life-Changing Habits For Students
being a student can be challenging, but building life-changing habits can make the whole experience more effective and enjoyable.
Managing your time effectively, finding your optimum study routine, having a sleep schedule, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, regulating social media use, engaging in extracurricular activities, making the most out of your classes, seeking help when needed, networking, and cultivating a growth mindset are all habits of successful students.
By implementing these habits, you can improve your academic performance, mental and physical health, and overall well-being as a student. Remember, it’s never too late to start building good habits and making positive changes in your life.
