If you are here reading this then you have already gotten the first habit of highly successful students – being intentional. It is always about taking the first step and by searching this or reading this you have already gotten on the train to an exceptional CGPA.
Students everywhere are trying to gain ways to improve their studying time efficiency to get the best GPA they can. This article will list 7 habits that are found amongst students that tend to perform better than others. Likely you did not know about some habits, or you did not know how to apply them, or you did not know its importance and how it affects your academic performance, or you knew of all the habits but forgot. So whatever the case, read on so that you can learn some great survival tips for the challenging journey called school.
Habit 1: Intention
It is incredibly important that before you start a new academic year you know have set personal goals you would like to achieve. Emphasis on the “personal”. On a normal basis, when someone is starting a new school session they automatically have this idea that their main goal is not to fail their classes. The goal itself is not a problem but it’s the fact that most of the time this is either not an actual goal for some. Some don’t actually care as much about excelling in maths class than improving their writing level before December. Or it could be that because the goal is something that is general due to the societal system and educational system making you fear failing rather than be excited to learn something(s) new every year, you make the goal subconsciously which means you will not actually work out the actionable steps to take towards it.
When it is two weeks to the beginning of the session, sit down with yourself for 5-10 minutes and reflect on what matters to you and what you would like to get out of the academic year that is to start. Once you have gotten that, write it in a journal (or even a sticky note would be enough) as your goal for the year. Over the next one week take your time to set realistic mini milestones that will help you reach that goal. Finally, one week before you resume you may start taking action with your plans because one of the key traits in high performing students is that they start early.
Habit 2: Organization
For grade level, students take a minimum of ten subjects per grade. That number usually decreases as a student’s level gets higher but the difficulty level of each subject increases as well as the responsibilities in their lives. Because of that inevitable fact of life, one must be realistic and graceful with one’s self and not put such high expectations to function well without thoughtful organization.
Being organised means more than having a clean desk. It means having systems and structures in place so your time, materials, and focus are directed toward what matters. For example you can;
Organise your notes: Use separate folders or notebooks for each subject, and label them by date or topic. This makes reviewing easier and prevents last‑minute scrambling.
Organise your workspace: A tidy study environment reduces distractions and signals your brain that it’s time to focus.
Organise your digital files: Create clear folders on your phone and laptop for assignments, past papers, resources, and deadlines.
Time management
Time management could have been a subheading on its own from how primary it is but to organize is to manage one’s time. Whatever sort of schedule you make or routine, it will not work without putting every hour of your 24 hours into account. It is an absolute LIFE skill that you will be needing even once you have completely graduated. “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” This painfully true statement by William Penn reminds us that time, unlike any other resource, cannot be bought back so for your sake never take your time for granted because it is the most expensive and scarce currency out there.
Habit 3: Stay ahead
Start early. Stay ahead. Be the best.
Keep this sentence constantly on repeat throughout your semesters. The best way to become the best is by staying ahead of your peers, and the best way to do that is by starting your assignments and study sessions early. You, I, and our ancestors know that leaving things till the last minute is never a smart idea. Can you still get things done last minute? Yes. Has it ever been a smart plan? No.
So many things can always and surely one day go wrong (if it has not already) by procrastinating and leaving your assignments to the last minute.
If you already know that procrastination is a big problem for you, tackle it early on. Maybe even make it your goal for the academic session. Check out these articles that can help with that:
1- “How to avoid procrastination and improve productivity”
2- “11 Time management hacks for students”
Habit 4: Be active
Students with high CGPAs are always active learners. How can one be an active learner? There are multiple ways you can be active:
Ask questions in class: Your mother has probably told you this one over a hundred times and that is because it truly does matter.
Even if you do not have the courage to stand up during class (something you should work on by the way), you can always go to your teacher afterwards and clarify all your doubts with them.
Active recall: When studying – especially before an exam or test, it is important to know how different methods of studying work to know which one will be the most effective in retaining information.
Active recall should be your go to because it forces your brain to retrieve information from memory rather than simply recognize it. Many students make the mistake of rereading their notes over and over again thinking that they are learning, but in reality, their brain is only becoming familiar with the information, not actually remembering it. Active recall changes that. It strengthens your memory by making your brain work harder to bring the information forward.
For example, after finishing a topic, close your book and try to explain everything you remember either out loud or on paper. You may realize that there are gaps in your understanding, and that is exactly the point. Once you identify those weak areas, you can go back and review them.
Physical activity: Physical activity has strong scientific backing for improving memory, focus, and academic performance.
Students who remain physically inactive for long periods often experience mental fatigue faster, making studying feel harder than it actually is. Incorporating even 10–20 minutes of physical activity into your daily routine can significantly improve your concentration levels, energy, and overall academic performance.
Habit 5: Revision! Revision! Revision!
Habit number five you see in every excellent student is how they are always studying. But not just any kind of studying. Sometimes they are doing hardcore 5 hour study sessions but more often than that they are doing 1-2 hour revision sessions after every few lessons/topic covered in classes.
If you are a smart person who wants to get a high GPA this school year, you will revise every topic for 1 hour/30 mins shortly after taking it with your teacher rather than leaving your to-read to stack up every end of the week. Regular revision is actually one of the most non-debatable ways one can score well in their subjects because it allows you to learn AND retain large reading material with the least stress and pressure.
Habit 6: Honesty?
I’m sure honesty was not one of the habits you were expecting to see in this list. But before we get into the last habit it is important to be honest with yourself as a person to be the best student you can be.
Honesty here means to be sincere about your academic goals. Do you truly want to be someone with a 4.5 CGPA or is that a score you want to impress your peers that you think will make you feel better about yourself. Honesty means to not bite off more than you can chew – do not put more tasks in your daily routine than your energy level will allow you to maintain. Honesty means forgiving yourself and taking things easy when you get tired and overwhelmed with school.
Look at yourself as a parent who wants the absolute best for their child. Take extra care to balance between being dedicated and disciplined, with being honest and thoughtful.
Habit 7: Sleeping and taking care of one’s health
Lastly… this one is even funny to many students, especially those in higher institutions like master students or STEM undergraduates. Nevertheless, the amount you sleep REGULARLY will always have a huge affect on your overall health. When you do not sleep enough – even if the physical consequences are not immediately visible, the mental ones are.
You become more easily stressed and your tolerance level goes down making you cranky and sad. Studying in such mental conditions greatly reduces the quality of your time spent in school. If not for anything, you should know that, that makes you more likely to quit in the long run so take care of your sleep. There is no need to give the step by step rundown on how to fix your sleep because everyone of us knows how to do that. What we do not know though is how much we are harming ourselves.
Conclusion
In summary, successful students share a number of important habits that create a strong foundation for their academic success:
Intention
Organization
staying ahead
being active
consistent revision
onesty with themselves
taking care of their sleep and overall health
However, the most essential habits that successful students integrate into their daily lives are organisation and maintaining good (or at least decent) health. When you organise your life, you naturally set clear goals, build effective routines, and consistently take actionable steps towards achieving them. At the same time, maintaining your health ensures that you have the physical and mental strength needed to sustain those efforts long term. As my parents like to always remind me, “What good is the degree you will get if after attaining it you are too weak to make use of it?”
Stay hydrated and study enough!
