Habits of successful students you should adopt
As a student, you need to succeed academically. Success has a formula and the formula is in working consistently and smartly towards set goals.
There are established habits of some successful people in the society. One of them is that they are consistent in their work. Another is that they set SMART goals.
SMART is an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, which means that successful people set goals with these features.
In a similar way, successful students equally have common habits. These habits of successful students is what we are presenting to you and every other student out there, with hopes that it will make anyone who adopts them successful.
To succeed as a student, we recommend that you adopt the following habits of successful students:
- Successful students are active learners
- They set study goals which are SMART
- They are consistent with their goals, and this makes them habitual active learners
- They don’t entertain distractions
- The have study plans
- They are organised
- During quiz or examination, they don’t rush to answer questions thrown at them, they study to them them first.
- They are not loners – they are friends with their teachers and fellow successful students who they go to for clarification whenever needed
- They eat balanced diet (they seldomly eat junk)
- They don’t multitask
- When they are studying or being taught, they take notes
- They don’t dump their notes, they revise it 24 hours after taking them
- They often study in a group – (their study group is often made up of brilliant students who value success)
- They are always asking questions in class
- They take breaks in between their daily activities
- They value exercise
- They are highly focused
- They are often friends with their teachers
Let’s now look in details the habits of successful students.
1. The are active learners
There are two types of learners – the passive and the active ones.
The passive learners attend classes, take notes during class and while studying, do their assignments and equally revise their notes just like the active learners do.
The difference between these two types of learners is in their method of studying.
The active learners study with questions.
They always have learning objectives and check to know if the objectives are met after each study section.
They do this by answering questions the study objectives have.
If an active learner is studying reproduction for instance, his study objectives could be this:
- learn how to define reproduction as a subject
- know the importance of reproduction
- know the causes and solutions to Infertility
- explain the process of human fertilization
- discuss the changes in a women’s body during and after fertilization
- describe the characteristics of each trimester
An active learner, after studying, will discuss the learning objectives to himself. This action will allow himself know if the objectives are met.
In continuation, he will get and solve problems related to what he studied.
He may use past questions or exercises in the material he studied, if there are exercises in it.
2. They set study goals
Successful students set study goals that are SMART in nature. This implies that their goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.
They don’t just wake up each day and pick any study material and start reading or studying it.
After waking up or before retiring to bed the previous night, they plan on what to study, where to study, and now to approach it.
3. They are consistent with their goals, and this makes them habitual active learners
Habit is not innate. People learn it from being consistent. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, habit is an acquired mode of behaviour that has become nearly or completely involuntary.
Successful students are intentional about their daily activities. Being intentional and consistent in doing what will make them succeed academically makes them have these traits as habits.
4. They don’t entertain distractions
The world we live in today is full of distractions. These distractions range from social media, TV programs, family and friends, colleagues among others.
Social media seems to be leading among these sources of distractions as it usage can be compulsive.
Successful students don’t allow of these sources of distractions to come between them and their studies. The get rid of them without blinking.
5. They are organised
There could be limitations of potential without organisation. A disorganized person will achieve his set goals if he pursues it consistently but you cannot compare him with someone who is organised in terms of the speed and level of the goals’ achievement.
Successful students are usually organised in doing things. Organisation during study enables students to maximize their study time without being worn easily.
6. They don’t rush to answer questions
During quiz or examination, successful students don’t rush to answer questions thrown at them, they study to understand them first.
It’s only after they understand a question properly that they starting answering them.
6. They don’t guess
Some students guess answers. Well, you wouldn’t blame them. Most exams ask students to attempt all questions.
The indirectly implies that you’re needed to guess answers to even the questions you practically don’t know their answers.
During exam, time is always against students who attempt questions they don’t know their answers.
On the other hand, successful students always skip any question they either don’t understand or know its answer.
It’s not all the time they know answers to questions thrown at them. In this situations like this, they skip the question and go to the next one.
7. They are not loners
Successful students are often friends with their teachers and fellow successful students who they go to for clarification whenever needed
8. They eat balanced diet (they seldomly eat junk)
Eating balanced diet helps in being effective while executing mental tasks. Academic activities are mental tasks.
To execute it successfully, one needs to be eating healthy.
9. They don’t multitask
It will be difficult to see a successful student who multitasks. Multitasking makes people to easily lose focus and end up not finishing any task. It often leads to procrastination as people usually abandon tasks when they become overwhelmed.
Doing a particular thing at a time and moving to another when you’re done with the previous one makes it easier for people to be efficient.
10. They take notes
When they are studying or being taught, they take notes
11. They revise their notes after class
Even though they are active learners, who don’t find strength in revision of their materials but in answering questions and solving problems of what they studied or were taught, they don’t neglect it.
They don’t dump their notes, they revise it 24 hours after taking them. This helps in making them assimilate better what they were taught or what they studied the previous night.
12. They often study in a group
There is a saying that those who go alone go fast but those who go in group go far.
This is not applicable to all successful students, but most of them have study groups.
In the group, they usually take turn to teach one another.
Their study group is often made up of brilliant students who value success.
13. They are always asking questions in class
When in doubt, they ask questions. When confused, they equally ask questions. There there is lack of clarity, they demand for clarification.
Successful students don’t go home with doubt about something, especially when they have someone to ask.
14. They take breaks in between their daily activities
15. They value exercise
There is a saying that has it that all works and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Successful students subscribe to this saying as they exercise and engage in other extracurricular activities.
They do these to balance academic and social lives.
16. They are highly focused
Like we said before, successful students have and use study plans. This enables them to be focused. They know what to do at every given point in time.
Efficiency comes with being focused.
Conclusion
If you desire to become a successful student, then adopt these discussed habits of successful students.