Frequent Mistakes In Study Habits
On many occasions, our children’s lack of study ability is marked by a strong lack of motivation, related, in part, to great deficiencies in study habits. What mistakes could they be making?
Finding where their skills falter when it comes to studying can mean the difference between dropping out early or successfully getting through the educational stage they face. How can we help them regain their enthusiasm for learning?
Normally, this discouragement about studies is closely related to the ignorance of study techniques that allow them to carry out an autonomous and efficient study session. In other words: they are lazy to study because they don’t know how to do it.
So let’s analyze the most frequent mistakes in our children’s study habits. A little self-criticism is always good and is the first step to moving forward and improving.
Bad study habits
1. Lack of planning of study sessions
It is important that we make a schedule with the extracurricular activities that we carry out and plan the time that we are going to dedicate in the afternoon to each subject. Last minute binges are not good at all. They cause fatigue and generate anxiety. If our stomach hurts before an exam, it means that we are not doing something right.
2. Studying with music or the radio is not one of the best study habits.
Depending on the subject that we are going to tackle, we will need one degree of concentration or another. If we are listening to music, it is more than likely that our attention will be diverted to the lyrics of the song we are listening to. Only for those tasks that require less concentration can we use instrumental music, but always in the background.
3. Messy study area
None of us would like to study in a workplace full of papers and various junk. It is important that we keep it clean and tidy, that it invites us to sit down and study, that we have everything we need at hand: colored pencils, eraser, highlighter, ruler, blank pages …
4. The bed is not a place to study, another of the bad study habits
Of course, if we are preparing a ‘difficult’ exam that will take time, we must be comfortable, but the bed is not the ideal place for it. We probably want to take a nap. A good chair and a well-lit study area is more than enough.
5. Not knowing what goes into the exam
If we have not planned our weekly study schedule and we have accumulated the material, the day will come to start studying and we will not have the material organized. With our anxiety triggered, we will not be able to concentrate and we will abandon our mission before sitting in the chair. A good outline and keeping notes up to date can prevent us from finding ourselves in this situation.
6. Memorize the content
Sometimes we will have no choice but to ‘sink our elbows’ and start studying, but I agree: it sounds very boring. However, nowhere does it state that it is forbidden to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to make our study session more enjoyable. Concept maps, YouTube videos… Anything goes as long as we learn the lesson.
7. Too many distractions in the study area
The ICT thing is very good, but you have to know how to control yourself. If we have Instagram open on the mobile and Facebook on the computer, we will be in conversation with colleagues instead of studying. We must avoid chats not related to classes during study hours.
8. Not taking a break to regain strength is one of the worst study habits
Marathon study sessions are not productive. Generally, we can maintain a good degree of concentration for 50 minutes to 1 hour. We advise you to start studying with something that is simple for you, as a warm-up, and take a break every hour to ventilate the room, eat something and clear your mind.
9. Study in the living room or kitchen
We will not be able to concentrate if our brother is watching television, our mother is talking on the phone or the dog is barking. We must have a fixed and proper place that allows us to study calmly, isolated from noise and distractions.
Conclusion on study habits
If you have felt identified with these frequent mistakes in study habits, you will have already managed to take the first step towards success. As they say: “the first step is to recognize it.”
Now that you know what not to do, we hope that the way you have to go will become less uphill. The secret is in motivation and perseverance.
