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BAD HABITS TO STOP NOW AS A STUDENT.

 

As exams get closer, many students fall into bad study habits that can make preparing for exams even harder. These habits can lead to stress and poor performance. Let’s take a look at some common mistakes students make when studying:

 

·       Procrastinating studies: Pushing off studying until the last minute.

·       Not having a study plan: Lacking a clear roadmap for what to study and when.

·       Cramming: Trying to learn everything in one go right before the exam.

·       Multi-tasking: Attempting to juggle studying with other activities.

·       Studying without a goal: Not knowing what you aim to achieve in each study session.

·       Not actively studying: Reading or highlighting without truly engaging with the material.

·       Spending hours but not focusing: Sitting with books open for hours without true concentration.

·       Not managing time properly: Poor time management leading to rushed or incomplete study sessions.

·       Getting distracted easily: Allowing phones, social media, or friends to interrupt study time.

·       Ignoring breaks: Studying for long periods without giving your brain time to rest.

By the end of this article, you’ll learn how to break these bad habits and adopt better study practices that will help you succeed in your exams.

 

 

 Procrastination: The Thieve of Time.

 

 Have you ever found yourself putting off studying until the last possible minute? I used to do that all the time. I’d tell myself, “I work best under pressure,” or, “I’ll start right after this episode,” but let’s be honest, it was just procrastination in disguise. It’s like this sneaky little habit that convinces you there’s always more time, even when there really isn’t.

 

I remember one time when I procrastinated so much that I only started studying for my finals the night before. I thought I could cram everything into one session and ace the exam. Spoiler alert: I didn’t. I ended up staying up all night, my brain felt like mush, and I couldn’t remember half of what I’d read. When I walked into the exam room, I realized I was in serious trouble. My heart sank as I flipped through the pages of the exam paper and saw questions I barely remembered reading about. Needless to say, I found it really hard to pass.

 

Procrastination is like that friend who says, “Hey, let’s chill a bit longer,” and then disappears when you’re in trouble. It makes you feel good in the moment but leaves you in a mess when it matters the most. It tricks you into thinking you’re avoiding stress, but all it really does is pile up more anxiety and pressure for later. Trust me, it’s not worth it.

 

If you’re nodding along because this sounds like you, then you know exactly what I mean. It’s time to kick this bad habit to the curb and start taking your study time seriously. You don’t want to end up like I did, staring at an exam paper and wishing you had just started a little earlier.

I still vividly recall the time I had a major biology test. I told myself, “No worries, I’ll start studying later,” and later turned into the night before the exam. I tried to stuff a week’s worth of knowledge into my brain in a few hours. But when the exam started, my mind went completely blank. The questions seemed like they were written in a foreign language. My heart sank as I realized that all that cramming didn’t pay off, and I ended up staring at the blank page, wishing I had started studying earlier.

 

Imagine how different things could be if we tackled our studying a bit at a time instead of all at once. We’d actually remember the cool stuff we learned in class, and we wouldn’t have to endure those late-night panic sessions. Plus, getting a good night’s sleep before an exam sounds pretty awesome, right?

 

So, maybe it’s time to rethink our approach. Procrastination might feel like the easy way out, but it really just sets us up for a tough time later. Next time, let’s try to stay ahead of the game and see how much better things can be when we’re not scrambling at the last minute. Trust me, your future self will thank you!

 

 

Cramming - The Terrible Habit You Need to Quit Right Now

 

You know, that thing where you cram all your studying into the last minute before a big exam? Yeah, that one. I was the worst for it. I'd stay up until 3am the night before a test, chugging energy drinks and trying to force as much information into my brain as possible.

 

The thing is, cramming might seem like an effective way to study, but it's actually terrible for your grades and your overall learning. When you cram, you're not really taking the time to properly understand and retain the information. Instead, you're just temporarily memorizing facts and formulas, only to forget most of it as soon as the test is over.

 

I learned this the hard way. In my first year of university, I crammed hardcore for my final exams. I thought I was so prepared, but when I got my results back, I was shocked - I had bombed most of my tests. It turned out that all that late night studying hadn't actually helped me learn the material. I found it really hard to apply the concepts during the exams, and my grades suffered as a result.

 

Moral of the story? Cramming is a bad habit that needs to stop. Trust me, it's just not worth it in the long run. Start studying earlier and take the time to properly understand the material - your grades (and your sleep schedule) will thank you.

 

 

 

Why Multitasking Can Hurt Your

Grades and Memory

Research shows that focusing on one task at a time is way better for your brain. When you multitask, you’re like a squirrel darting between acorns – it might seem impressive, but it’s not doing you any favors. Here’s why:

1.   Working Memory Woes: Imagine you’re studying for a big exam while texting your boyfriend/girlfriend and listening to music. Your brain is probably thinking about this person, but your working memory is doing the limbo.

2.   Memory Mix-Up: Long-term memory? It’s like that old shoebox of photos – you want to keep it organized. But multitasking messes with the filing system. You might remember the lyrics to a TikTok dance, but forget the historical dates for your history exam. Oops! 📚

Focus on one thing, ace it, and then move on. Your grades (and sanity) will thank you! 😉¹²³

Remember, we’re all guilty of it, but now you know better. 🙌

 

 

Studying without planning

 Have you ever sat down with your textbooks, intending to study, but without any clear direction on what you’re supposed to be focusing on? As Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” That’s exactly how it feels when you study without a goal. It seems like you’re doing the work, but without a specific target, you’re just going through the motions.

 

I used to be guilty of this all the time. I would sit down with my math book, thinking that as long as I was reading and working through problems, I was making progress. But the reality was quite different. One semester, I was prepping for a big math exam. I spent hours flipping through the pages, solving random problems, and reading explanations that seemed important. But I didn’t have a clear plan or focus. When I finally got to the exam, I was completely overwhelmed. The questions seemed like they came out of nowhere, and I couldn’t answer even the basic ones. All that time spent studying felt wasted because I hadn’t been focusing on the right topics or goals.

 

Studying without a goal is like trying to build a puzzle without looking at the picture on the box. You might find a few pieces that fit together, but without seeing the whole image, you’ll struggle to understand how it all connects. You end up feeling lost and frustrated, not because you didn’t put in the effort, but because your effort wasn’t directed in a meaningful way.

 

So, next time you sit down to study, think about what you want to achieve. What topics do you need to understand better? What kind of questions are likely to be on the exam? Having a clear goal will make your study sessions far more productive and less stressful. Trust me, having a direction will make all the difference in how effective your study time is. Don’t just wander through your notes; chart a course that leads you to success.

Distraction

Ever found yourself studying, but constantly getting distracted by every little thing? It happens to the best of us. As William James once said, "The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." Avoiding distractions is crucial because they can derail your focus and hinder your academic progress.

 

I used to struggle a lot with this. During study sessions, I’d start off strong, but then my mind would wander. Anxiety about the upcoming exam, hunger pangs, or feeling tired would often pull me away from my textbooks. And let’s not forget the temptation of checking my phone for social media updates—it’s like a vortex that sucks away valuable study time.

 

One time, I was preparing for a history exam, and every few minutes, I found myself reaching for my phone to see if I had any new notifications. It was so distracting that I couldn’t concentrate on what I was reading. When the exam day arrived, I realized I hadn’t absorbed half of the material because my study sessions were constantly interrupted by distractions. I struggled to recall key dates and events, and it showed in my exam results.

 

Not avoiding distractions is like trying to swim upstream. You may move forward a little, but the constant pull from distractions makes it harder to reach your destination. Each distraction chips away at your focus and leaves you feeling frustrated and unprepared.

 

Next time you sit down to study, create a conducive environment. Put your phone on silent mode or out of reach, grab a snack beforehand to curb hunger, and take deep breaths to calm any anxiety. By minimizing distractions, you’ll find your study sessions more productive and your retention of information much better. Remember, staying focused is the key to academic success. Your future self will thank you for it!

 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

As students, we all face challenges in our academic journey—whether it's procrastination, cramming, studying without a clear goal, or succumbing to distractions like anxiety and social media. These habits can derail our progress and leave us feeling unprepared when it matters most, like during exams.

 

However, recognizing these pitfalls is the first step toward overcoming them. Procrastination may seem like a temporary relief, but it ultimately leads to stress and rushed work. Cramming may offer short-term memory retention, but it often results in shallow understanding and poor performance. Studying without a clear goal leaves us adrift, unsure of what we truly need to learn. And distractions, whether from anxiety or electronic devices, fragment our focus and diminish our learning potential.

 

The solution lies in cultivating better study habits. Create a study plan to manage time effectively. Set clear goals for each study session to maintain focus and direction. Prioritize understanding over rote memorization. Minimize distractions by creating a conducive study environment. By adopting these habits, you empower yourself to approach studying with purpose and efficiency.

By making conscious choices to improve how you study, you pave the way for success in both your academic pursuits and future endeavors.