Study Skills

10 Habits of Highly Effective Students

1. Stop the "Cram" Sessions

• The Habit: Successful students space out their work. Studying for 1 hour over 4 days is much more effective than a 4-hour marathon the night before a test.

• Why it works: Your brain needs time to move information into long-term memory. Cramming might get you through a test, but the info will disappear quickly afterward.

2. Schedule Your Success

• The Habit: Don't study "whenever you have time." Instead, pick specific days and times during the week for your schoolwork.

• Parent Tip: Help your child look at their week and block out specific "work windows." This reduces the daily "Do you have homework?" argument.

3. Consistency is King

• The Habit: Try to study at the same time every day. This creates a routine that requires less "willpower" to start.

• The Strategy: Use a timetable, reward yourself for sticking to it, and take short, healthy breaks (like a walk or a snack) rather than scrolling on your phone.

4. Set a "Mission" for Every Session

• The Habit: Never sit down to "just study." Have a specific, measurable goal.

• Good Goal: "I will memorize 20 Spanish vocab words in 45 minutes."

• Bad Goal: "I’m going to study Spanish."

5. Kill the Procrastination Monster

• The Habit: Start when you planned to start. Procrastination is usually the "emotional" brain trying to avoid a boring or hard task.

• The "5-Minute Rule": If a task feels too big, tell yourself you will only do it for 5 minutes. Usually, once you start, the resistance disappears.

6. Tackle the "Grizzly Bear" First

• The Habit: Always start with your most difficult or least favorite subject.

• Why it works: You have the most mental energy at the beginning. If you save the hardest task for last when you're tired, you're more likely to give up or make mistakes.

7. The 24-Hour Review

• The Habit: Briefly review your class notes before you start your homework.

• The Science: Reviewing notes within 24 hours of a lecture dramatically increases how much you remember. 

8. Find Your "Focus Fortress"

• The Habit: Eliminate distractions like the TV, social media, and loud siblings.

• Parent Tip: Help create a designated workspace that is not a bed. Some students need total silence, while others work better with light background noise or "Lofi" music.

9. Use the Power of the Group

• The Habit: Study with 3–5 classmates to stay accountable and quiz each other.

• The Best Part: "Teaching" a concept to a friend is the absolute best way to make sure you actually understand it.

10. The Weekend "Check-In."

• The Habit: Spend a small amount of time on the weekend reviewing the past week and looking ahead at the next one.

• Parent Tip: Sunday afternoon is a great time to briefly check the school portal together to ensure no big projects are creeping up for Monday morning. 

Tools

Google Keep is a simple, digital version of a refrigerator covered in sticky notes. It is a free tool that helps parents and students stay organized without the clutter of paper lists.

Google Tasks is a digital "To-Do" list that is built directly into the Google tools your family likely already uses, like Gmail and Google Calendar.

A Note for Parents

While Google Keep is better for messy brainstorming and "sticky notes," Google Tasks is better for deadlines and specific assignments. It is ideal for middle school students who need to see exactly what is due and when. Both are built in on the right side of their Gmail accounts. 

Pomodoro Timer is a simple time-management method that helps students (and adults!) stay focused by working with their brain’s natural

 attention span rather than against it.

The Sprint (25 Minutes): Set a timer for 25 minutes. During this time, they focus only on that task—no phones, no snacks, no side conversations.

The Reward (5 Minutes): When the timer dings, they take a 5-minute "brain break." They should get up, stretch, grab water, or look away from the screen.

Repeat: After 4 "sprints," they take a longer, 20-30 minute break.

Other Helpful Resources: 

MindsetKit is an online resource designed to help parents and educators teach children the "Growth Mindset"—the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through hard work and persistence.

Khan Academy is a free educational platform that offers practice exercises and instructional videos across almost every subject, from kindergarten math to college-level history.