There are two kinds of students – the innately gifted ones and the academically talented ones. These two are not the same, even if the difference is not huge.
A naturally gifted student possesses academic inclination and intelligence from the beginning. On the other hand, an academically talented student has the smarts but not the inclination or the natural know-how to score in academics.
This does not mean that academically talented students cannot be as successful as naturally gifted students. Rather, they can perform better since there is more room for improvement and growth, and they are not stuck in their natural ways of studying.
Being a high-performing student is more about the lifestyle than one’s own abilities.
Here are some traits that highly successful students have that you can adopt to become an achieving student yourself:
1. Finishing One Project Before Starting Another
An intelligent worker knows to not pile up work or do all their projects half-heartedly. Instead, they pour their energy into one project at a time.
They focus their resources and time on the work at hand while keeping other deadlines in mind. To do so, they plan tasks in advance in order of priority.
Most students complete the toughest or the most time taking job first, so later they don’t run out of time. But some work the other way around. They finish smaller tasks first to maximize productivity for the more significant tasks later, in case they have more time before a deadline. This can help build confidence and motivation to work since you keep checking tasks off your list.
2. They Are Inquisitive
Good students are rarely passive. They like to question and interact with what they are learning. They pose questions to their teachers, read up more on different subjects and are always curious.
Some people are naturally interested, while others just need to spend time exploring what makes them want to dive deeper into an issue. Even if sometimes, they have to work harder to learn more about the subject, they see value in it as extra knowledge rather than a useless task.
Successful students always engage in learning outside class as well.
3. Set Goals
This is a daunting task, but successful students know its importance. Most students aim smaller and more specific goals.
But there is no bar to what your goals can be as long as they are realistic.
A lot of times, it’s okay to not have particular goals in mind and have broader goals and solutions/strategies to make them happen.
For example, if one wants to improve at reading, one would set a goal of reading 10-20 pages daily. There are no details about what books or what material, yet it is an efficient goal.
Bright students use this strategy and stick to their goals. They achieve one goal and then start working on another.
4. They Thrive On Feedback
High-achieving students do not shy away from feedback. They accept both compliments and criticism to work harder and develop more.
They know they will not become good at something overnight and take criticism as a means to progress every day. They do not just sit with it. They incorporate it the next day.
Often, if they aren’t even offered feedback, they seek it out themselves.
5. They Have a Routine/Schedule
A routine effectively allows any average student to become a high-scoring student. Gifted and academically brilliant students have their own schedules and habits, which they consistently follow to perfect the tasks by repeating them every day at a given time.
Routines are effective because they help your body and brain to get programmed into doing something at a particular time. For example, if your study time is 7 pm, and every day you study at 7 pm, you are more likely to be most focused because your brain anticipates a learning period.
This is not to say that you need a rigid schedule. The important part is that you should know what tasks you need to do every day.
For many, it doesn’t matter when they do them as long as they get work done. Many enjoy this system better because of the sense of discipline this method provides.
6. Their Study Environment is Distraction-Free
Significantly elaborated on by the author of Atomic Habits, good students know that their work environment needs to be distraction-free.
They usually don’t study in places where they get too comfortable and fall asleep, they don’t listen to music they will sing along to, nor do they keep devices that can distract them when they are studying. There are no fidgety items around them unless it helps them work better. Their workspace correlates with productivity.
By making simple changes to your environment, you can also immediately see the changes in your performance.
7. They Work Smarter
With so many tools and technologies to help them, intelligent students know when to save their energy.
Sometimes scoring is not about the amount of effort but the kind of effort. There are endless tools that can help with assignments, papers and whatnot. Writers Per Hour is one such effective tool. By paying a nominal fee, you can get a professional to write your essay for you in no time when you have a more serious or extensive deadline to manage.
8. They use effective techniques
Most productive students do not use rote learning and employ more effective, scientifically tested learning methods such as active recollection. There are thousands of resources available online to learn better ways of studying.
Sometimes learning is more than reading, and YouTube is free education. You can learn more about a topic by viewing infographic videos than by reviewing old notes.
Another factor is how you take notes. A lot of times, the method of taking notes needs to improve. Create an efficient note-taking system and deploy new learning methods like using flash cards while revising those notes.
9. Successful Students Have a Life Outside of Studying
Highly successful students excel better at learning because they engage in activities besides studying that help them recharge and gain confidence.
This could be physical exercise, playing an instrument, dancing, watching, or playing some sport. The idea is to have a hobby, an interest that connects you to the world and helps you see excellence as something to be achieved outside of books also.
Such students also have a productive set of friends and social life, giving them a sense of support. They find a balance by prioritizing everything. If on weekdays they prioritize their studies, on weekends they prioritize their family and friends. This keeps them refreshed and not exhausted from studying.
10. They Get Adequate Sleep and Nutrition
Good students have a set number of hours they know they have to sleep daily. They also prioritize the quality of sleep over quantity. They take small naps depending on the individual or sleep together at one go for a couple of hours.
Food also impacts sleep, energy, mood, and stress levels. Successful students have meals full of items that give them energy when awake and do not make them fall asleep, like chips or too much candy or fatty foods.
As a student, it is hard not to snack on something when studying. The key is to substitute junk for healthy snacks that keep you and your brain healthy and promote more productivity, like peanut butter sandwiches or fruits. These foods are more nutritious and make you feel fresh and energized.
Conclusion
The ultimate trait that successful students have is awareness. They know what works for them, what they want, what intrigues them, and so.
To become a high-scoring student, you must step out of your comfort zone, be honest about where you go wrong and implement new strategies.
Ask for help, and you can constantly learn new things and new ways of doing what you do to develop the most efficient system that gives you results.
