Now you wonder, can smart students make mistakes at all? Am I even a smart student?
The good news is that staying locked in for school has nothing to do with intelligence. There are a number of reasons why outstanding students sometimes struggle, such as:
- Burnout: An overwhelming lack of motivation due to too much work without proper support.
- Procrastination: Stems from a need for perfection, not laziness. It’s a paralyzing effect and leads to late nights and later assignments. Time management is key.
- Fatigue: For students with full schedules, it’s usually sleep that gets tossed in favor of homework or hanging with friends.
- Distractions: No matter how good your grades are, notifications, advertisements, and social media want your attention and time.
So, what can be done to fight back?
Know Your Study Habits
To figure out how to lock in, you have to know what works best for you. Are you more focused when:
- Studying with friends or studying by yourself?
- Studying in your room or studying around campus (library, lounges, etc.)?
- Studying in the morning or studying at night?
- Studying with productivity timers or studying at will?
Knowing what works best for you will level up your game. Explore a little bit of everything and find out what you prefer.
Remember The Fundamentals
Once you know what works for you, there are a few guidelines that will keep you locked in.
- Set Goals: You’ll never go anywhere without a destination in mind. When setting studying goals, use the S.M.A.R.T formula to ensure your plans are doable. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
- Follow a Routine: Whether in life, work, and especially school, routines are important. Maintaining and following a set routine orders your life and allows for a set daily time for studying.
- Health First: No assignment is more important than you. It’s easy to lose sight of what matters the most during the busy week-to-week of school, but your health and well-being come first. If you’re feeling drained, overexerted, or unwell, forget homework for a moment and take care of yourself.
If Academic Crash-Outs Are Still Happening
You’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work? It’s possible you need a change of pace:
- Online Learning: A different kind of learning might just be the thing that can shake up your schedule and get you back on track. At Portage Learning, courses can be started and taken at any time and are transferable to your college of choice, making them a perfect option.
- Student Success Center: Any good Student Success Center will house professional coaches and tutors that will be there to up your academic game and provide strategies and tips to boost your focus.
- Accountability Partner: A friend or family member would be perfect, but all you need is someone who can keep you on schedule with your work. Hopefully, they would check in often to make sure you are keeping up with your goals.
Academic mistakes will be made and struggles in school will happen to you. There’s no way to avoid that. So don’t try to erase them. Instead, build strategies and habits that combat these issues and keep you locked in.
Looking for Better Ways to be an Academic Weapon?
Life gets busy, has its ups and downs, yet courses continue. Other academic options can fit students' schedules better. Portage Learning provides courses that allow you to lock in according to your own schedule, at any time, from anywhere. After registering for a Portage Learning course, you have six months to start it, and then one year to complete the course once you’ve begun. Check out Portage Learning’s online courses here.
