How to Build Good Study Habits: The Ultimate Guide

Ever pondered why some students excel academically with seemingly little effort while others struggle despite burning the midnight oil? 

In my experience, the secret often lies not in the hours dedicated to studying but in the quality of study habits developed. With a staggering number of high-school students juggling academics, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments, mastering the art of effective studying has never been more crucial. 

This blog post will serve as your ultimate guide on how to build good study habits. My goal is to transform your study sessions into productive, stress-free endeavors. 

From evaluating your current study practices to leveraging study aids, you’ll uncover strategies designed to elevate your academic performance. And most of all, you’ll discover how small tweaks can lead to monumental gains in learning efficiency and academic success.

Part 1: Assessing Your Study Habits

Embarking on the journey to cultivate good study habits begins with a thorough self-assessment. Everyone has a different starting point. Perhaps you excel at your history and biology classes while struggling in your algebra course. Or maybe, you thrive in your humanities courses while  STEM classes remain a rocky road.

We all have different starting points, and nobody is good at everything—despite what the “smart kid(s)” in your class may lead you to believe.

We can figure out what your starting point is by determining how strong your study habits are for your different classes. Here’s how you can evaluate the effectiveness of your current study routines:

• Evaluate Your Study Environment and Schedule: Does your study space foster learning, free from distractions? Is there a specific time block you dedicate to studying each day? The ambiance of your study area and a structured schedule play pivotal roles in your academic performance.
• Focus and Concentration Levels: During study sessions, do distractions easily sway you, or can you maintain a laser-like focus? How good are you at *not* looking at your phone when it buzzes? Identifying your ability to concentrate can help you implement strategies to enhance your attention span.
• Assessment of Exam and Quiz Outcomes: Reflect on your recent academic performances. Whatever your past grades were, are you seeing an upward trend? We want to see numbers in a sequence like 75% → 82% → 86% → 90%. This upward trend reflects effective study habits. 
• Stress Levels and Attitude Towards Studying: High stress and a negative outlook towards studying can significantly impede your ability to learn effectively. Recognize these factors and seek ways to cultivate a more positive and relaxed approach to your studies.

By critically examining these aspects of your study habits, you lay the foundation for academic improvement and success. Remember, the goal is not just to study harder but to study smarter.

Finally, I cannot stress this enough: It is entirely possible for you to maintain strong study habits *and* have a fun personal life outside of school. 

Studying for eight hours a day is not effective. I know PhD students, medical students, and law students who never study for more than three hours. After that point, their brains are too fatigued to retain any more information without taking a break.

Good study habits require you to make the most of a single hour, not to trudge your brain along a rough, ten-hour endeavor.

Part 2: Making Studying Easier

After analyzing your study habits, it’s time to implement new strategies to enhance your focus, improve retention, and make your study sessions more efficient and enjoyable.

Break Down Study Material Into Smaller, Manageable Parts

Let’s say you have to read 100 pages in a day. And those pages are in a book you find unbearably boring. But you absolutely need to read those pages to pass the test. What do you do?

Well, I know what you wouldn’t want to do: You wouldn’t want to sit down and read all 100 of those pages at once. That’s not fun. And if you’re tired by page 25, it’ll be a trial to really comprehend what’s happening on page 35. Then by page 45, the symbols on the paper suddenly make you feel like you’re reading in Greek. By page 50, your brain hurts. And by then, you’re only halfway done.

The secret is to tackle the gigantic tasks in chunks. Bite-sized chunks. And each chunk should be so simple and quick, that it barely feels like work at all.

In this particular scenario, maybe you commit yourself to reading 10 pages in 20 minutes. That’s two full minutes per page—a decently reasonable pace for an uninteresting book. After those 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break. 

And when I say break, I mean it. Do something you like. Eat your favorite snack. Scroll through your favorite apps. Watch something fun on YouTube. Get your mind completely off of work for a bit. 

But when those ten minutes are over, you stop and get back to your book. That’s non-negotiable. 

That is, when you take your break, don’t do something that’ll take more than ten minutes to achieve. Do *not* click on that 15-minute YouTube video. Do *not* stress-bake some cookies. Do *not* play that one round of Fortnite. Even if it’s only one round.

With this strategy of consistent time-control, you would’ve finished reading your book in 5 hours. So if you got home at 3pm that day, you’d be finished before Monday Night Football starts (Eastern Time Zone). And you would’ve gotten a total of 100 minutes (1hr 40mins) of fun break-activities along the way.

See, the key to tackling huge tasks is not brute force. It’s consistency. And the more consistent you are, the more effective you’ll be at studying. Remember, a river cuts through a mountain not because of its strength but because of its persistence.

Create a Dedicated and Organized Study Space

Okay, that previous section talked about time. This section is about space.

Your study space should have minimal distractions. Be away from noise and interruptions. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a quiet corner of your home, if you’re in a library, or sitting in a calm coffee shop. Your study zone should be quiet.

You know that feeling when you walk into a Church or a library? The atmosphere changes. The air feels thick with concentration, the noise levels diminish, and even the scents that enter your nose change.

That’s how you should feel when you enter your study zone. A complete overhaul. And here’s how you can accomplish this quickly:

• Put your devices on “Do Not Disturb.”
• Download a phone app, like Forest, to block distractions.
• If you’re prone to falling asleep (like I am), then study standing up.
• Choose a location with minimal noise and minimal foot-traffic.
• Be far away from tempting objects like video game consoles, televisions, sports equipment, musical instruments, gym equipment, or even dance studios.
• Do not cozy up under a blanket. Study sessions are meant to be a calm but alert period of time.

If you create a space for yourself that is completely and exclusively associated with studying, your brain will begin to get into study-mode the moment you cross the room’s threshold.

Develop a Consistent Study Schedule

First thing’s first: A schedule is not a prison.

From high-school students to working adults, I often hear, “I don’t want to be constrained by my schedule,” or “Routines make me feel trapped.”

That’s great! I agree. Here’s the thing: You get to create your schedule yourself. Thus, if you feel like your calendar is a prison, then it is a prison of your own design.

In reality, effective studiers create schedules so that they can have the day that they want. Likewise, you should create your own schedule so that you can have the day that you want. Each slot in your calendar is therefore constructed to your liking.

Here’s how I design my schedule: 

I put all the fun activities into my calendar first. If there’s a game on Friday night followed by an afterparty, I block that time out exclusively for fun-times. If there is a concert I want to go to two Tuesdays from now, I’ll put that event into my calendar first, and then schedule my work around it. And if you have a date tomorrow, you’d better not cancel just to study.

Really, the work and studying you do should be scheduled around the fun activities that matter in life. That way, each day goes exactly the way you wish.

Now, of course, you’re human. I’m human, too. Not all schedules will go according to plan. But even if you only accomplish 70% of the work you wanted to do that day, you’d still have quite a productive day. And keep in mind, a seventy-percent is basically a C or a C-minus. So even if you put a C-minus effort into following the effective, goal-oriented calendar you pieced together for yourself, you’ll still be more productive than students who didn’t even put together a calendar at all.

Prioritize Tasks and Set Clear, Achievable Goals

Now, all that talk about loading a bunch of fun events in your calendar sounds exciting. But there’s a caveat:

You must include a significant, but not overbearing, amount of work into that schedule.

Here, the word “achievable” really comes into play. Think of a new schedule like a weight at the gym. Some schedules are heavier than others. For example, I knew a student-athlete at Stanford whose day looked like this:

• 4am: Wake up for rowing practice
• 4:30am-6am: Complete conditioning and rowing
• 6:30am: Arrive back on campus
• 6:30am-7am: Brush teeth, shower, and get ready for the day
• 7am-7:30am: Breakfast
• 7:30am-8am: Study or finish up any remaining homework
• 8am-9am: First class of the day
• […]

By 5pm, he would’ve completed all his classes, studied for a couple other classes, hung out with some friends during his extracurricular activities, and eventually made it home in time for dinner. 

That’s an insane schedule.

Aka, that’s a hefty weight to lift. Not everyone can do that, and even fewer people can achieve each item in that schedule consistently over the course of a year. 

And if you’re just now starting your scheduling journey, it’s basically like your first day at the gym. You definitely don’t want to start with the heaviest weights. Likewise, you don’t want to begin with the heftiest calendar.

To set achievable goals, you should know exactly how much studying you can handle in a single day. This quantity is actually pretty easy to find: Take your least favorite class, and see how much reading you can do from your textbook before you feel fatigued. How much time passed? 

Typically, the answer I hear from students is that they can study anywhere from 45-80 minutes before their eyelids feel heavy. Once that much time has passed, take a meaningful break (as detailed above), then do another study session once you’re refreshed.

As far as I’ve seen, two study-sessions in a single day, each day, is all a student needs to effectively improve their scores. As long as you’re maximizing your time, these study habits should kick in, and you’ll be an absolute academic weapon by the time next semester rolls around.

Part 3: Making Study Sessions Rewarding

You know that feeling? The feeling of not wanting to start an essay? But once you start writing, the actual task itself turns out not to be that bad?

I’ve felt that, too.

And I’m sure you could feel the same way about studying. In fact, many students report that the act of beginning to study is harder than the task of studying itself. 

It’s like jumping into a pool. The initial shock of the change from dry to wet can jar you. But once you’re in the pool, everything ends up fine.

This section will teach you how to combat that feeling.

While the previous section talked about how to make studying as easy as possible, this section will reveal techniques that can make studying less of a burden and more of an engaging activity.

That way, not only will your study session become a breeze, but you’ll also have a bit of fun along the way.

Admittedly, this section is quite simpler than the previous one, since each technique can be summarized in bullet-point fashion. So let’s do it:

Incorporate Elements of Gamification into Your Study Routine

Gamification turns the routine task of studying into an interactive and competitive activity, making it not just educational but entertaining. Here’s how:

• Scoring Systems: Assign points for each completed section or chapter.
• Level Up: Create levels of difficulty for subjects, with rewards at each level.
• Challenges and Quests: Set up specific challenges, such as mastering a set of vocabulary words or solving complex math problems within a time limit.

Set Up Study Rewards and Incentives

Rewards serve as motivation to reach your study goals.

• Immediate Rewards: Treat yourself to a small reward after a productive study session, like your favorite snack.
• Milestone Rewards: Larger rewards should celebrate significant achievements, such as completing a challenging chapter or acing a test.

Alternate Between Subjects or Topics

Switching between subjects prevents monotony and keeps your mind engaged.

• Subject Rotation: Plan your study schedule to alternate between subjects, balancing those you enjoy with those you find challenging.
• Micro-Learning: Break your study sessions into short, focused periods on different topics to maintain interest and energy.

Connect Study Topics to Real-Life Interests or Applications

Relating study material to your interests or future goals can make learning more relevant and engaging.

• Real-World Connections: Find examples of how mathematical formulas are used in engineering or how historical events influence current politics.
• Personal Relevance: Apply what you’re learning to your hobbies or personal projects to deepen understanding and retention.

Share Your Accomplishments

Celebrate your hard work:

• Social Sharing: Share your achievements with friends or family as a form of social reward and recognition.
• Accountability Partners: Pair up with a friend who is also studying and celebrate your milestones together.

By implementing these strategies, studying transforms from a solitary task into a surprisingly enjoyable process. The aim is to not only build good study habits but to also enjoy the journey of learning, making each study session something to look forward to.

Conclusion: The Importance of Balance in Building Good Study Habits

Upon implementing the techniques outlined above, you should be able to see an upward trend in your grades. An achievable goal to set for yourself is to bring your overall grade average up by one letter:

If you’re normally a D-student, see if you can bring yourself up to a C-level. If you’re a B-student, try to become an A-student. And if you’re already an A-student, see if the techniques above can indeed allow you to find some more free time to spend on things like extracurriculars, family matters, or other hobbies.

But always remember that balance is key.

Tips for Building Balance into Your Good Study Habits

In the quest to build good study habits, the significance of maintaining a balance between studying and personal time cannot be overstated. High-school students, in the pursuit of academic excellence, often find themselves caught in a whirlwind of textbooks and lectures, forgetting that a well-rounded lifestyle is key to sustaining both mental and physical well-being. Here’s why balance matters:

First, integrating regular breaks and leisure activities into your study routine can prevent burnout. It’s essential to remember that your brain, just like any part of your body, needs rest to function optimally.

Second, remember that stepping away from your study desk can actually (surprisingly?) boost your productivity. Activities like hobbies, exercise, and social interactions not only refresh your mind but can also improve focus and retention when you return to studying.

Finally, never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep and proper nutrition. These are foundational elements that significantly affect your cognitive functions, including memory, concentration, and problem-solving abilities. After all, what you eat and how much you sleep affects your brain. A well-rested and well-fed brain leads to a better memory and stronger cognitive skills.

In the dynamic and often demanding world of high school, remembering to take time for oneself is not just beneficial; it’s necessary for sustained academic success and personal growth. As you strive to build and refine your study habits, never lose sight of the bigger picture—a balanced life where studies and personal time complement each other, leading to a healthier, happier you.

If you need more assistance building a customized study schedule or reward system, or you need academic or test-prep help, contact HelloCollege today to learn more about our one-on-one tutoring help.