As the saying goes, success is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Your inspiration comes from your dreams and goals, but what about the rest? What’s all that “perspiration”?
It’s hard work and self discipline. And while most of us aren’t opposed to the idea of hard work, consistently accomplishing goals day after day can pose a challenge. How do you stay focused and on track with regard to your study schedule and test preparation?
Remove temptations and distractions from your environment. It’s hard to stay focused with your phone beeping, friends calling, the TV blaring, or anything else summoning your attention. Turn off devices, and ask your family members not to bother you during study time.
Make the decision. Habits are often based on what we feel like doing in the moment, whereas forming new habits will rely upon conscious decision making. Don’t wait on your mood to feel right for studying or working on a paper, because that time might never come. But if you consciously choose to focus on school work anyway, it will become more of a habit over time.
Keep yourself physically healthy. A healthy body equals a healthy mind. Commit to a healthy diet and exercise routine, and your moods will stay balanced while your energy levels remain high.
Pace yourself. If you attempt to attain high levels of self discipline right away, you’ll probably just burn out. Instead, schedule breaks and rewards into your study schedule in order to stay motivated.
Practice self forgiveness. Setbacks are going to occur. Rather than focusing on what you did wrong, consider the situation a lesson and move forward. Learning experiences help us to do better next time.
Of course, if you need help developing sound study skills, give us a call. We can help you learn how to stay on task, prepare for tests, and much more.