Fantastic Study Habits
... and where to find them
Oh, the studying, exams, and all that stuff…
It’s all usually linked to a great deal of pressure and anxiety, right?
Okay, I admit it’s not easy. But it’s not that hard, either. I mean, especially if you find what you’re studying interesting.
Since you’re reading this, I’ll just take it for granted that you like learning English. Okay? Okay.
Teachers are important. I’m one of those, therefore I see myself as an important factor. But not the key factor.
The critical factor is YOU.
The truth of the matter is: you can’t depend solely on your teacher. You must do a lot of work for yourself.
You need to be organized and disciplined.
You ought to develop good STUDY HABITS, both in and out of the classroom.
HABITS are everything — everything we are. You become your habits — that’s how powerful they are. It’s ALL about habits.
If you really want to become a super-learner, these are the things you should do so often that they become habits:
Spend some regular out-of-class time working on your English.
Steady commitment is a much surer guarantee of success than occasional bursts of activity. It’s better to aim for 20 minutes five times a week and do it than to plan for 5 hours two times a week and give up.
Review what you did in class and make a note to ask about anything that was unclear.
Unless you do this, there’s a chance the teacher won’t even be aware of your weaknesses, and therefore they won’t be able to help you.
Learn to use reference books
such as dictionaries and grammar books intelligently.
Find a time and place to study where you can concentrate and not be distracted.
There is so much activity around us nowadays, and so much environmental noise, that our powers of concentration and tolerance of silence are often quite low. You need to get used to sitting in a silent room, working on a paper for an hour or longer and not being able to get up, make noise, and move around. Becoming comfortable with this can be an important part of your progress.
Organize your notes/worksheets
so that you can review your work easily and get a sense of your own progress. Too often, completed work just gets pushed into a file or folder, never to be looked at again. Get into the habit of reviewing what you have previously studied.
Monitor your own use of language.
Try to identify and correct your own mistakes.
Ask your teacher for help with anything that is worrying you.
Ask your teacher for help with anything that is worrying you.
Be social.
Use social media in English. Find a page on a topic you are interested in and comment in English. This will help you practice your writing skills, your reading skills and be part of a global community all at the same time. The exams are designed to test the kind of knowledge used in real communicative contexts, so it would be great if you could find someone to practice and communicate with in English on a regular basis. You can also join my awesome community on Instagram. Just click here and join us.
TOP TIP: Keep an independent learning diary.
Write down a clear plan. To help you with your plan, answer these questions:
- When are you going to study? For how long?
- Where are you going to study?
- What are you going to study?
You can download Cambridge English: My Study Plan where you can set weekly and monthly goals.
Now you have your personal study plan, do it! Set yourself a reminder on your phone. Arrange to study with a friend. Tell your family about your study plans, so they can check up on your progress. But remember, if you cannot manage to follow your plan, change it.
It’s YOUR plan, so make it work for YOU.
Question: How to be sure that you are making progress?
You’ve been learning English for a while and sometimes it can be really hard to know whether you are still improving. Some learners lose confidence after a while – they feel they made lots of progress when they first started learning English, but now they somehow find it hard to get better. The truth is, progress is gradual (and sometimes slow), but if you are attending English lessons or studying regularly at home, you are almost certainly improving without even knowing it!
Here are some things you can do today to check your progress:
1. Go back in time
Get out an old notebook or find an email you wrote in English a year ago. Read it. Check your spelling and your vocabulary. Analyze your sentences. How would you write them today? You can probably see how much your English has improved over the year!
2. Write for the future
Sit down and write something for yourself. A letter to yourself, a story or whatever you like. Put it in an envelope and write the date six months into the future on the envelope. Leave it somewhere you can see it so that you don’t forget about it. Open it in six months’ time (on the date on the envelope) and read it. Or send an email to your future self! (Click the link!) Schedule it to arrive in 6 months. Now isn’t that something to look forward to! Remember me then and drop me a line! I’d love to hear your impressions!
I hope this post has given you some insights and ideas, and that you’ve found some fantastic study habits you’d like to try and acquire.
Happy learning, star!
Yours,
Jelena
P.S. Want to hear me talk about this? CLICK HERE to listen to the episode on Spotify.