Having good study habits is essential for becoming successful.

1. Invest in a Planner

Having a planner helps keep assignments organized. Writing down each assignment in a planner reminds you of what needs to be completed and when it is due to make sure nothing is forgotten. From there, you can put the homework in order of most important to least important and complete the assignments in that order.

For example, if you have a major grade project due Tuesday, a math assignment due Monday, and a Math test on Wednesday, you would complete the major grade project first, then work on the math assignment and if you have time remaining, study for the Math test.

2.Create Goals

Creating goals also helps organize the study time. It gives purpose to it in order to keep yourself on task and avoid procrastination. When you have a goal in mind (e.g.: finishing one assignment by 5:30, then take a 30 minute break and complete half of the next assignment by 6:30) it keeps you on task and doesn’t leave room for procrastinating.

3.Taking Breaks

Breaks are important for your brain to reset and refocus on studying. After a while, the body gets tired of sitting for long periods of time. Taking the occasional break to walk around, stretch, listen to music, or do something relaxing helps clear the mind and refocus your energy on the assignment at hand.

Keep in mind that they shouldn’t be long breaks, but they should be long enough to give your brain and body a break from sitting and focusing for hours; 10-15 minutes is adequate.

4. Time Management

Time management also helps organize studying. Completing the easiest tasks first helps because you get it out of the way first. When you start working on the most time-consuming homework first, you are more likely to lose track of time and rush to complete the rest of the work.

Doing the easiest things first gets some homework out of the way, so you can focus the rest of your time on the biggest project for the rest of your study time.

5. Limit Your Distractions

Distractions are everywhere. Your siblings, pets, television, and phones are only a few of the things that can throw you off your rhythm. Of all the distractions, phones are the biggest one for teenagers. Cell phones in itself aren’t distracting, but the apps within the phone are. It holds things like social media, texting, notifications, and mobile games.

Apps provide constant notifications on updates on people’s lives, the latest challenge on a game, somebody uploading a new Tik Tok, or anything else that can grasp a teenager’s attention in a split second. This makes phones irresistible. Right when a notification goes off, it’s second nature for teens to check what is happening. Putting your phone on silent or even powering it off can help fix this issue.

Sure, you won’t be up to date on every single bit of social media every second, but your homework will be complete, which is more important than finding out the latest celebrity or school gossip.

6. Repetition

Repetition is the key to success. Repetition can mean re-writing the notes or re-stating the information you need to know. Either way, the information is being put in your brain every time you repeat the information, verbally or in writing. Re-writing notes helps engrave the information in your brain.

Overall, to be successful in studying, organization is the main key. Having organization helps manage time and get work done in a timely manner.