Many students struggle with schoolwork, especially when mid-terms or finals are looming on the horizon — it all adds up and can get difficult to manage. This usually happens because students don’t regularly keep up with the work, and only study when an assignment or test is due. The following tips should help you organize your life a little better and that should eventually result in a higher GPA.

1) Make lots of lists.

Research shows that the most organized people tend to be those who make a lot of lists. Make a whole new list when you’re finished with it or edit an old one to reflect all the tasks you’ve already completed (for that great sense of accomplishment — there’s something extra that comes from seeing success written down). This tip doesn’t stop being useful when you stop being a student; working professionals with a ton of work who are pressed for time can certainly benefit from it too. It helps you prioritize your work and deal with things systematically without getting sidetracked. With the advent of smartphones and awesome apps like evernote, this has never been easier.

2) Do a little bit of work everyday.

Most students cram for exams at the last minute, or stay up the night before working on a research paper. Studies have shown that both these habits have negative effects on your grades because you rarely retain enough information to get a good grade, or you don’t have enough time to develop drafts and edit your papers. The best strategy in this regard is to revisit your work within 48 hours of learning it for the first time, and go through it again. Keep up with the work as it is being taught, do a few problems a day and you’ll stay caught up; save it for the night before class and you will probably hate the course and the instructor for giving you so much work.

3) Plan your day.

This tip goes back to organization. Many people have so many things going on in their lives that it’s really easy to become overwhelmed. After you’ve prioritized everything on your list, put them in a calendar. With a smartphone this is super easy, obviously, but never underestimate a good old-fashioned day planner — they’re elegantly personal, and do the same job. Set aside time for your school work, your down-time, your TV show, exercise, whatever else you need to do, and keep your appointments! This skill becomes indispensable when you enter the professional world. If for some reason you weren’t able to keep an appointment, sit down at the end of the day and figure out why. Did something unexpected happen? What are the chances of that happening again in the future? Were you unmotivated? How can you increase your motivation?

4) Stay motivated.

Staying motivated is perhaps the hardest part, because there are so many distractions along the way. Devising ways to stay focused is key. Try different things and see what works for you. Get a friend to join you as a study partner. Make a deal with your parents. Promise yourself something nice at the end of it. There are all sorts of tricks you can play with and on yourself — whatever works. Buckling down isn’t happy fun time for anyone, so try and keep things as interesting as you can.

5) Learn from your mistakes.

Lots of students give up when they get something wrong. Some students defer to their teacher to give them an explanation rather than figuring it out for themselves. Both these habits are detrimental to your work habits and your learning. You need to check your work as you do it. That doesn’t mean doing a problem then checking it right away, do a few problems and then check them together. When you get something wrong don’t just write it off saying “oh well, I got that wrong.” Figure out why you got it wrong — was it a careless mistake? Or did you genuinely have no idea how to do it? The most learning happens when a student figures out something on his or her own. Having someone else explain it to you is easy but if the same thing happens again, you’d much rather sort it out for yourself by trying to recall the situation from last time than waiting for someone to help you.

Check back for more study tips soon!

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