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| Improving Study Habits |
 The second reason we often put off starting to study is that we are too overwhelmed with how big the project actually seems to be. Usually, we convince ourselves that putting off a tough study project can be the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by it. If we are faced with a study project that seems exceptionally difficult and overwhelming, it can be hard to maintain a high level of interest and motivation for the duration of the learning process. If you have all these bad study habits, it's not too late to learn some other habits that will work better for you.
First of all, remind yourself why you want to do better in your studies. Probably you need a good mark to get into a good college. Maybe you want to get a well paid job. You should always keep your end goal in mind.
You can hang little cards on the wall with inspirational messages, and attractive photographs that will remind you why you want to do well in school.
When you feel very overwhelmed, you can improve your motivation and your performance by breaking up the project into smaller sections, or "chunks". Every time you accomplish one little bit successfully, give yourself a meaningful reward. When you have a deadline looming, decide how much of the project you need to tackle at one time. Imagine you have six weeks to master the content of a difficult biology text. Reviewing the book you realize that if you study one chapter each night, you can get through the book in 28 days, leaving two weeks in which you can again review the material.
Having this knowledge you can pace yourself. You are aware of your assignment. You determine how much you need to read every night. Focus on the immediate task at hand. You shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the entire book at one time. Also, work out a system of rewards for yourself. Each time you master one chapter give yourself a series of small rewards, and a larger reward for completing the entire book. Your rewards must be immediate, and personally meaningful to you. If you hate fishing there is no point in rewarding yourself with a new fishing rod.
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