3 strategies for more efficient study habits

Can students make better grades and spend less time studying? Actually, yes! The key is to help your child plan strategically to make the most of each moment of study time. Here’s how:

Strategy 1 – Prioritize

If your child feels overwhelmed by school work, the only solution is to prioritize. Talk to your child to help him identify the goals that are most important and pressing and make a practical plan to achieve these goals.

• Define goals. Short-term goals are most important for managing study time effectively. Establish short-term goals with start and end dates to help your child avoid feeling overwhelmed.
• Make a plan. This plan should include all of the ways the student intends to accomplish a goal. For instance, if she wants to make better grades in math, the plan could include talking regularly with the teacher, completing all homework on time, and studying daily to be better prepared for quizzes and tests.
• Create a daily task list. Help your student learn to break up tasks into smaller, more doable steps that he can complete each day. The daily task list may include items such as completing an assignment, studying for 30 minutes, or asking the teacher for extra help with a particular skill.

Strategy 2 – Manage Time Effectively

Introduce your child to the time management skills below to help him become more productive and achieve academic success without the need for cramming:

• Take small steps. Emphasize why it’s important to devote a little time each day, starting as soon as your student is assigned a major task or assignment. Using this approach, he will be able to steadily chip away at the work that needs to be done, and feel more at ease and in control.
• Eliminate distractions. Observe your student’s study habits and help her to discover time-wasters that eat away at productivity. Keep the TV off during study hours or make sure your child studies in a room where there is no television. Help her also to unplug from phone calls, text messages, or emails. By eliminating distractions, she’ll be able to get more done in a shorter time.

Strategy 3 – Combat Stress

Tips to beat the negative effects of stress on academic performance include:

• Eliminate unnecessary sources of stress. Help your student identify and eliminate sources of stress that get in the way of good grades, such as any extracurricular activity the child no longer enjoys.
• Model and share ways to manage stress including regular exercise, play time, breathing exercises, meditation, adequate sleep and nutritious foods.

The more your child practices these strategies, the more natural they will become, and the more success he or she will enjoy in school and out of school.