How to make studying a consistent daily habit

It’s almost 2024, which means it’s time for everyone to try to reinvent themselves and achieve their new year’s resolutions. And of course, habits are an important part of that: they make up 40% of our behaviours. So, if one of your goals this year is to become a better student, the first thing you need to do is make studying a daily habit!

Create a study plan

Creating a study plan removes the element of uncertainty, which is a big factor in causing procrastination. This is because without a plan, there’s a mental block which makes the task seem much harder than it really is. You have to identify the subjects you want to improve in and decide what you have to study each day. My other posts have more info about this, but essentially what you should do is this:

• make a to-do list
• pick some study methods
• write it down

Remind yourself to study

Often, we forget to do a new habit when we’re first starting it. It’s not yet a part of our daily routine, so it simply slips our mind. That’s why we need reminders to prompt us to do a certain habit. You can set alarms on your phone, or you can create visual reminders, like placing your textbooks on your bed. Habit stacking also works! That’s when you do one new habit immediately after another, previously established, habit. For example, you can stack your studying habit after your previous habit of eating lunch after school.

Start small

Don’t tell yourself that you’ll study for 8 hours a day – this will just lead to burn out and disappointment. Instead, start studying for however long you feel comfortable, and gradually increasing it to your goal. If your goal is to study for 4 hours a day but you’re currently studying for 30 minutes, try increasing it by 15 minutes every week. Within 14 weeks, you’ll be at your goal! It’s essentially like progressive overload during workouts!

Make it enjoyable

If you hate studying, you’ll never be able to make it a long-term habit. Reframe your mindset to see studying as a tool to achieve your dreams. Also, make sure you’re using study methods that you enjoy! You can use Pinterest to romanticise studying or listen to music while studying – this post has more information about this topic 🙂

Gamify the habit

Do you know why Duolingo is so successful, even though it’s just a regular language study app? Because it gamifies having a study habit. You can do the same by tracking your progress on a habit tracker and rewarding yourself every consecutive 10 days that you study. Alternatively, you could use an app like flora to compete with friends.

Want more in-depth information about preparing for 2024? Check out this video!