Effective Study Habits

As the saying goes, nothing in life is easy these days. Such is aptly true about the academic life: It is difficult and harsh. Students have to wake up early in the morning, write long essays, and research topics for class reports. Because of these academic tasks, some students reach the point of giving up and, eventually, failing to achieve their graduation dreams. However, instead of looking at all these works as a problem, students should see them as a challenge, an opportunity to excel and learn in preparation for a better future. They should never lose heart and must be optimistic about the great things ahead.

School life may indeed be challenging, demandingly draining mentally and physically at times. It is not, however, something that cannot be overcome. For if there are hindrances, there certainly are ways to conquer them through the right set of values and attitudes. It is for this reason that students should first, before anything else, master the habits of effective studying. For only through these values can students prevail over the challenges at school and achieve their goals – good grades, academic recognition, and course level promotion.

Learning effective study habits (ESH) seems to be so trivial, almost like on the tip of the students’ fingers. But the truth is, saying it might be easy, but doing it requires greater efforts. EHS is consist of two big words – effective and habits – that can be acquired only through discipline and commitment. When we say effective, we do not just mean any other kinds of methods or tools, but something that is efficient, capable of producing and leading us to our desired effect. Meanwhile, habit is a recurrent behavioral pattern that is acquired through frequent repetition.

In the question “What is the definition of study habits?” posted on answers.yahoo.com, a respondent had this reply:

“A HABIT is something that is done on a scheduled, regular and planned basis that is not relegated to a second place or optional place in one's life. It is simply DONE . . . no reservations, no excuses, no exceptions.

To STUDY is to buy out the time and dedicate self to the application and the task of study which is to become engrossed in a process of learning, practice, enlightenment - education of one's self.

Therefore . . . STUDY HABITS can be derived from the above as buying out a dedicated scheduled and un-interrupted time to apply one's self to the task of learning. Without it, one does not grow and becomes self-limiting in life.

You only go as far in life as your STUDY HABITS (learning/education) will take you - how far do you want to go, how much do you want to earn, how manual is the labor you choose - YOU decide by your study habits, throughout life."

This is the first biggest challenge students are facing in their freshman year: "How to acquire effective study habits?" They should have the will, motivation, and strength to learn them, for only through them can they achieve happiness and success.

Linked are some of the tools, which may be of great help to all of us: Developing Effective Study Habits and Tips for Effective Study Habits.

References:

Effective. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved July 02, 2009, from Answers.com Web site: http://www.answers.com/topic/effective

Habit. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved July 02, 2009, from Answers.com Web site: http://www.answers.com/topic/habit