Over the years when I was working in a secondary school, I’ve noticed recurring habits in the students who were generally more successful.
They performed well academically, managed stressful periods well, and upon graduation they shared that they had a positive experience overall. So I thought about it and managed to identify five habits that I felt contributed to their success.
And these are five simple habits that anyone can pick up.
MAXIMISE YOUR TIME
Don’t play a fool during lesson time.
Pay attention and only do productive work. If you have any free time in school, like in between lessons, use it to finish your homework instead. The more work you can finish in school, the more time you have to relax when you’re at home.
REVISE EVERY DAY
You don’t have to revise every subject every day.
All you need is to just spend at least 10 minutes on each subject that you have in school that day. Use your timetable as a reference. You only need to revise the subjects that you have lessons for on that day.
Go through your textbook or worksheets and read what your teacher taught in class. By going through what you learned in school a second time, you are helping your brain remember these new information better.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Getting straight As for your exams won’t get you far in life if you don’t know how to apply your knowledge in the real world.
The CCA or clubs that you join is the place where you will learn many valuable life skills. These are skills that you need in order to survive in the working world, like leadership skills.
Your CCA is also the time when you can make new friends from other streams and levels, and it can help you take your mind off your academics as well. Basically your CCA helps you become a well-rounded student, which means having the skills to survive and thrive in the world outside of your school gates.
REST AND PLAY
If all you do is study and never get to do what you enjoy, then you’re not successful.
Our brains get tired if we force it to study for too long, so it is important to take the time to rest. And rest doesn’t just mean shutting your eyes and sleeping.
Playing and doing something we enjoy is a form of rest as well.
ESTABLISH A ROUTINE
This last habit brings the previous four together.
Practice the first four habits every day and treat it as a routine to follow. At first it might be difficult, but once you get used to it, you will find it a lot easier to do.
An example of a routine from these four habits would be:
- Make full use of your time in school by finishing your work during any free time that you have.
- After school during CCA, participate actively instead of skipping and getting into trouble with your CCA teachers.
- Then when you’re at home, block off a specific time to revise every day, at least ten minutes for each subject.
- And lastly, be strict about ensuring that you get enough rest and play, rather than burning the midnight oil to study or finish your homework.
Once you have a routine, you won’t have to think about it anymore. Just follow it day after day and you’ll get used to it eventually.
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The key thing is consistency. The students I observed were able to do this on a daily basis.
Now I’m sure there were days when they just gave up in frustration and didn’t do anything productive, but that’s entirely normal and all right. We are not machines. Sometimes we just need a break, so don’t be afraid to give yourself one when you need it.
Slowly pick up each of these habits, practice them regularly, and soon enough you’ll be able to do all of them on a daily basis.
