THE holiday season is over and students are now back at school. The new year gives all of us a good opportunity to turn over a new leaf and start fresh. For instance, some of you might have come up with a resolution to be better at school by kicking those bad habits that you had last year.
Here are some bad habits that you should consider getting rid of now that you’re back in school.
Distracted by smartphones
When doing your assignments or working on a project, have you felt the strong urge to check your phone once every five minutes?
Getting distracted by smartphones is easily one of the biggest hurdles in getting students to focus on their studies. Whether it is checking messages or social media, some of you might argue that it is a way to reward yourself after spending a certain amount of time studying.
However, this will only make it harder for you to focus and will take a longer time to go through your studies.
Try working without any distractions and you will be amazed at how much you can get done.
Procrastinating
Procrastination is another major obstacle many students encounter.
By procrastinating, you will often find yourself pulling an all-nighter when studying for an exam or starting an assignment at the last minute.
To avoid procrastination, you need to exercise some restrain and be more organised.
Not proactive in class
If you are the type to just sit quietly at the back of the class and silently wait until school is over, you might want to change your habit this year. Instead of just sitting passively, why not try to get into the habit of paying attention during class?
By participating in class and asking more questions, you will be more engaged in your learning experience and can absorb new information more easily.
Not having a study routine
After a long day in school, the last thing many of you want to do once you go home is to study for hours on end.
Between assignments, exams, and extracurricular activities, it is easy for students to feel overwhelmed and to put off work and studying till the last minute.
However, when studying for an exam or completing an assignment, you need time to be mentally prepared so it would be easier to accomplish what you set out to do on that day. Hence, it is important to have a study plan not only to manage your time but also to keep you going in your learning.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.