Effective Habits for Studying and Strategies to Strengthen Self-Control

Effective habits for studying and self-regulation or self-control comes from the same place: the well trained brain. Imagine your brain cells lifting weights, getting stronger and building more connections every day. It will take time to figure out which strategies work best for you, so be prepared to experiment.

Remember, your brain is wired uniquely; the strategies that work best for you may be different from those that work best for others. You may also find that different classes require different strategies, so prepare to modify your approach accordingly. Allow yourself to be human. You will probably lapse back into ineffective strategies or habits occasionally. What matters most is what you do next. Take a lesson from a recent study on procrastination.

Students who forgave themselves for procrastinating before Exam 1, were much less likely to procrastinate before Exam 2.

Self-forgiveness prevented them from spiraling into apathy, like a dieter who slips up with one cookie and decides he might as well eat the whole box. The self-forgivers acknowledged their slip-up and took the next opportunity to get back on track again.

So with these findings in mind, keep persisting!

Whether your future plans include academics or not, I hope the practical advice that you would read on this report will help you make long-lasting changes in the way you approach any type of learning experience.

Okay, shall we continue? If yes, please read every sentence carefully so you would attain much information.

And you can thank me later!

First and foremost, consider this question: What are the observable behaviors that successful students engage in consistently? At this point, you should have all kinds of answers.

That’s the easy part.

But consider a trickier question: Once successful, how do you prevent yourself from slipping back into old, ineffective patterns of study behavior, like cramming, depriving yourself of sleep, and rote memorizing?

Unfortunately, “saying” is much easier than “doing.” But take heart: Any pattern of behavior or thinking you engage in that is detrimental to your learning is still just a habit.

Habits reflect well-worn pathways in the neural networks of the brain, like a map of our current default settings. Habits are not eliminated overnight, but they can be changed through awareness, persistence, and motivation.

Also, below are the tips to developed positive habits of self-regulation and self-control.

Developing Habits of Self-Regulation and Self-Control

Changing habits requires plenty of self-regulation, something that is challenging for most of us. If you’ve ever known what you needed to do but had trouble actually doing it, you know what this is like. We need to exercise self-control, putting off something very interesting right now in order to do something else that is less interesting but will pay off big time later.

Luckily, we can build self-control over time; it’s another mental muscle that responds to training.

The benefits extend well beyond studying, too; our strengthened self-control helps us modify any habit or learn any new skill—from quitting smoking to learning a new job.

Procrastination is one of the biggest self-control challenges we face. It feels good in the moment because we have avoided an aversive task. In regard to studying, students procrastinate for many reasons. Some are afraid of failure, and some believe they do their best work under the pressure of the last minute.

Whatever the reason, procrastination gives us an escape from an unpleasant feeling. But it always catches up with us in the end. One study found that students who procrastinated reported more health problems near the end of the term, perhaps because of the stress of all of that cramming. On top of that, their grades suffered as well.

Here are some strategies you can use to strengthen your self-control.

1. Start with a Short Burst

If you are having trouble getting started with a task, make it very easy at first. Work on the dreaded task for only 10 minutes, and then take a 2-minute break to do something more interesting. Go back for another 10-minute work session, and then take another 2-minute break. Repeat as necessary! I do this to kick-start my grading, which at first leaves me feeling overwhelmed. But when I think about only spending 10 minutes on grading, it’s no longer a big deal. What usually happens next is that the simple act of getting started breaks the spell of procrastination. I find that after a few 10-minute bursts, I can work longer.

2. Make Sure You Are Spacing Out Your Studying

Remember, it’s better for your brain if your study sessions are short and frequent. This helps with procrastination as well, because a 1-hour study session seems far less dreadful than a 5-hour marathon.

3. Capitalize on Your Strengths and Interests

Fuse something that provides immediate rewards with something that advances you toward your long-term goal. For example, if you are a very social person who loves meeting new people, form a study group early in the semester and start meeting regularly. If you love nature, incorporate a short session of reading into your next hike. In other words, find ways to link studying with some of the things you love.

4. Make Small Changes in Your Environment to Stay Focused on Your Goals

People striving to meet health-related goals do this by eliminating unhealthy foods from their pantry at home. You can do something similar to advance your academic goals. Reduce distractions by turning off any indicators of new texts or e-mails. Better yet, put your cell phone in a different room. Is the Internet a constant temptation? Temporarily disable your online access. Do you have trouble staying focused in class? Sit where you are not able to see the clock, or put your watch or cell phone away so you can’t see the time. Why? The more we check the time, the more slowly time seems to pass. Try sitting in the front row, where the professor is more likely to notice your behavior. That way, you’re less likely to feel tempted to give into your urge to text, sleep, or daydream.

5. Act “As If”

Have you ever felt your attitude needed an adjustment? Try changing your behavior first. Do you think this is the most boring class in the world? Act “as if” you are interested: Get to class early, sit near the front, listen intently with an expression of interest, and create great notes. Quite literally, play the role of “interested student.” Do this to boost your studying outside class (if necessary) as well. Obviously, this will feel very strange at first, but research indicates that our attitudes often shift to line up with our behaviors. This may not become your favorite class, but acting “as if” is likely to help improve your attitude and motivation. As a result, you have more energy to apply effective study strategies!

Hints:

1. You should focus on making small changes first.

2. Don’t look back at the text until you have pulled out of your memory as much information as you can.

3. Think back to a time when you successfully changed a habit. How did you do it? Adapt elements of that experience to change your least effective study habits.

4. If you tend to put things off, choose one procrastination-reduction method to apply in the week ahead.

5. Identify the biggest distractions you face while studying, and make changes to your environment to minimize these distractions the next time you study.

That's all.

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