Study Habits for GCSE and A-Level Success

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At the start of every year many people are making new year's resolutions. However, there's a very long history of resolutions failing.

In The Extraordinaries Club we have a different approach to achieving our goals. This approach focuses around changing behaviours by creating better study habits.

Study Habits for Success

On our coaching calls in The Extraordinaries Club I frequently say,

“The right behaviours deliver results.”

What does this mean in practice?

Well, it's very easy to set goals. I've heard many students set very lofty and ambitious goals in the past. But, unless they consistently engage in the behaviours that are going to lead to the achievement of their goal, their goal remains unfulfilled.

What study habits lead to success?

In my experience, the most successful students engage in consistent study habits such as:

Sticking to their weekly routine
Doing a minimum of five minutes revision every day
Keeping their phone outside the room when they're studying so it doesn't distract them
Reviewing their class notes every day or at the weekend to make sure they understand them
Filing their notes so nothing gets lost

You can find out more about successful mini study habits here.

How to develop new study habits

Different people succeed with different approaches to developing new study habits.

The ‘change who you are' approach

For example, in the past I've worked most successfully by resolving to do something, and becoming that person who does that thing. For example, I remember starting secondary school in year 7 and really struggling with remembering my timetable and keeping all my books organised so I had the right things with me everyday.

In the end, I just decided to become the person that checked their timetable the night before and packed their bag with just the things I needed for the next day.

Once I made this decision my life changed and I found secondary school so much easier to cope with.

The day by day approach

Other people work better by taking a day by day approach. This works really well if someone isn't convinced that the behaviour is for them or they don't believe in their ability to stick to it. Taking it one day at a time enables them to build belief in both the power of the habit and that they are able to stick with it.

When you fall off the wagon, get back on again

Whichever approach works for you, it's important to remember that absolutely nobody is perfect.

If you don't carry out your new habit one day it doesn't matter; you can still pick yourself up again the following day and carry on with it.

Help your child to build better study habits

If you're hoping your child will develop better study habits in 2021, such as leaving their phone outside the room when they're studying or doing a little bit of revision every day, The Extraordinaries Club can help.

We have ten study skills modules which are all about supporting your child to do the things on a regular basis that will enable them to reach their academic potential. We also have a Monthly Focus which is designed to help students to focus on and develop one single habit at a time. Students love the tracking sheets they get each month to help them see how they're getting on with developing their new habit.

Students have seen success taking part in the Monthly Focus with various monthly challenges such as:

Getting more focused by leaving their phone outside the room when they're studying
Being more organised by developing bag packing and filing routines
Developing their confidence by revising for five minutes every day for a month (and then carrying on because it was so successful)

Click here to join The Extraordinaries Club and help your child develop the study habits that will lead to their success.

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