The new year is almost upon us. Last semester is finally over, and grades have (hopefully) started rolling in. If you didn’t get the grades you wanted this semester, the new year is a great time make a resolution to start new habits. Here are six habits to help your grades grow in 2018!
Schedule your study time. Take the time to actually create a schedule, first and foremost. Then, once you’ve got all your classes and obligations written down, add in time every day for studying and practicing. Then once semester starts, stick to it. That’s the hardest part of any resolution.
Make a priority list. Take all your classes, and list them in order of difficulty. This is your priority list for the next semester. Then, once a week during the semester, list your upcoming projects according to my prioritization guide. It’ll help keep you focused on what’s really important, right now.
Set up a study space. Before the semester starts, clear off your desk. Set up your supplies, your computer, your textbooks, and anything else you need in a coherent, organized way. Decorate it if you want. It will make studying much nicer, and also give you one less way to procrastinate when school gets going again.
Organize a study group. If you have a class you just know is going to be killer, send an email to the other people enrolled. Figure out when some classmates can meet up, and then do a study group once or twice a week. If having other people around helps you focus, this is a great way to get in some serious study time. Just be careful not to invite only friends – that can easily turn into a hangout as opposed to study time.
Figure out a cheaper caffeine source. Is your go-to caffeine source campus coffee shop lattes? Vending machine Monsters? Those are faaaar too expensive. Look into getting a cheap drip-brew cone if you like coffee, or buy energy drinks in bulk and bring them with you. It’s not just cheaper, it also means you have caffeine where you live!
Be realistic. No one knows you better than yourself. If you know you’re too spur-of-the-moment to stick to a study schedule, but you get enough study time in regardless, that’s okay! If you’re lucky enough to have the funds to do a latte every day, but are too rushed to make it at home, then run with it! Work with your own strengths and weaknesses to figure out a routine that works for you.
You’ve got this!