Change Your Habits and Improve Your Grades

I wish life was such that doing the same thing over and over will eventually make everything right. Unfortunately, the reality is that if you want results you need to make radical changes, and that includes school. Here are eight habits to change to improve your grades:

Get Your Eight Hours of Sleep

This seems obvious, but so many poor souls don’t value a good night’s sleep. Don’t be one of those poor souls. If you can get eight hours of sleep (or more, if you’re lucky) you’ll be able to wake up full of energy. This reservoir of energy will make it easier to stay attentive during class. That means less studying!

You Won’t Find the Pythagorean Theorem on Facebook

Although I’m sure Sammy and Collin are having an illuminating conversation about how lit the bonfire was, that won’t help you learn the twenty-seven amendments. Good studying is consistent studying so taking breaks every couple minutes the check the banal happenings on your Twitter timeline won’t help you retain anything.

Stop Studying in Your Bedroom

The notion of studying in your bedroom seems like a sound one. Unfortunately, this confined space provides too many distractions, such as your computer or television. Take your studying out of the house to a local café or library, where the judging eyes of patrons around you will keep you on task.

Start Eating Breakfast. But, Chips, Cookies, and Pizza Aren’t Breakfast

A healthy portion of protein and carbohydrates in the morning can help to increase academic performance, as you will have better concentration and problem-solving skills. Breakfasts containing fruits and vegetables can provide a more engaged attitude, unlike fatty junk food that will just provide a momentary energy boost.

Walking to the Refrigerator Isn’t Enough Exercise

If your mind is right, you’ll be more effective. Part of getting your mind right is to maintain an active lifestyle. Working out and getting your body moving can help improve your sense of well-being and make focusing on a stationary task easier since your body is ready for rest. This lets your mind go into overdrive to learn the concepts you need.

Caffeine is Not the Answer to All of Life’s Problems

If you are having a hard time focusing on the task at hand, the easy solution seems to be caffeine. Unfortunately, the easy, artificial high won’t help you in the long run. You’ll work effectively for a couple of minutes, but you will eventually crash. It’s better to take a break every couple of minutes to recharge your battery for another session of studying.

Figure Out Your Homework Before 2 AM

Homework is the best litmus test for how much you are retaining the concepts from class. It should be treated as such, so you can discern what you need to refine before a test, thus leading to a better grade. If you rush through homework late at night, you aren’t going to be able to take inventory of your process, leaving study sessions unwieldy.

No Schedule, No Gain

If you are going to be productive at anything, you can’t just do it on a whim. You must keep a schedule and make dedicated time for anything you want to be successful at. To improve your grade, you need to set aside time to create a study schedule for when you’re home. Mondays are for math, Tuesdays are for science, etc.