Are you someone who likes to grow, challenge yourself, and improve? Whether you’re at school, college, university, or on a vocational training course, you’re probably interested in maximising your study skills and boosting your grades.
We’ve put together a few self improvement tips to help you do exactly that. So grab your books, get comfortable, and let’s improve your study skills and grades.
Get clear about your strengths and weaknesses
What are you already good at and which areas do you most need to improve? Before you can dive into improving your skills, you need to have a clear answer to these questions. Chances are, if you get really honest with yourself, you already know the answers.
Try this exercise: write down 5 things you’re really good at and 5 things that you could improve. They can be general study skills or specifics related to your course or field of study. Examples might include “time management,” “easily distracted,” “struggle with spelling,” and so on.
Stuck or not sure what to put? Ask your teacher or a trusted friend from your course for input. They might be able to identify strengths or areas for improvement that you weren’t aware of.
Understand your learning style
How do you learn best? Some people prefer to absorb information through reading. Others prefer to watch videos or listen to audio content. And some people learn best in a hands-on way, by doing. Which of these is you?
Once you understand your learning style, you can seek out resources that suit you. If you’re struggling with the standard materials provided, don’t be afraid to speak to your teacher or lecturer. They might be able to help you by recommending other ways you can study that better suit your learning style.
Not sure of your learning style? Take the Learning Style Assessment to figure it out!
Aim to learn something new every day
Effective learning isn’t about memorising the textbook or cramming the night before the exam. It’s actually an ongoing process that happens gradually. Think of it this way: if you learn just one new thing each day, by this time next year you’ll have 365 more pieces of knowledge that you don’t have now.
The things you learn don’t all need to be directly related to your course, either – though many of them probably will be. But every time you learn something, you’re challenging your brain, improving your study skills, and working your knowledge retention muscles.
Create an environment that helps you focus
Over the last year, many people have had to work out how to work and/or study from home for months on end. Whether you’re doing homework, writing essays, or revising for exams, you’re likely to have to study at home at least some of the time.
What helps you to focus? If possible, set up an environment that allows you to do your best work. It could just be your desk or a corner of your bedroom. Think about the right lighting, having everything you need within reach, and minimising distractions. Maybe a hot drink, quiet music (instrumental is best,) or doing a few stretches at your desk help you get into the zone?
Get regular feedback… and use it
Your teachers, lecturers, or course leaders should be giving you feedback regularly. Listen to what they say about your work, read their comments on your essays or test papers, and then take that feedback on board.
If you’re not getting regular or useful feedback, ask for it! It’s your teachers’ job to help you improve. If you ask for specific and clear feedback and then use that information to do better next time, they’ll be seriously impressed.
It can be easy to take feedback to heart, especially if it feels negative, but it’s actually a real gift. Think about it: you want to do better, and feedback tells you exactly how to get there.
Find a study buddy
Studying with a friend can be a double-edged sword. You can really help each other, but you can also distract each other and end up turning a study session into a regular hangout instead.
So find a study buddy, but choose wisely. You want to study with someone who is motivated and serious about the work, and who will work with you to hold each other accountable. Once you’ve found the right person, make appointments to study together (either in person or via video chat,) write them in your diary, and stick to them like you would any other appointment.
It can be helpful to build defined breaks into your study buddy sessions. For example, “let’s work for two hours then we’ll break and go and get coffee.” This gives your sessions structure and gives you an easy way to reward yourselves for your hard work.
Track your progress
As we’ve discussed, learning isn’t an all-at-once thing but a series of small, consistent steps. It can be easy to miss your own progress because no individual step feels hugely significant. But those little steps add up, and tracking your progress can help keep you motivated!
Test yourself regularly and write down your scores. If you’re revising for an exam, you could even take practice papers. Keep track of the grades you get on your essays or the feedback your teacher gives you.
After a while, you’ll be able to look back and see exactly how far you’ve really come. And this is seriously motivating!
Don’t give up
This is perhaps the most important tip of all. Self improvement is hard and there will be times that you want to give up. But please don’t! Every little step you take in the right direction makes a real difference and you’ll never regret taking time to learn and improve your skills.
Good luck!
