The Easy Ways to Study -Clearly Define Your Objectives

 To be successful in any pursuit you must first have a plan.

By Don Penven

I’m not sure who said this, but he does have a point, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

With that said, you may be wondering what planning has to do with passing that algebra, English or physics exam. Well, let’s see if we can clear this up for you. I’m going to give you a few planning tips on how to prepare yourself for surviving the rest of this semester, but by giving you a real life example of how important planning is, let’s consider this example:

You and a couple of friends want to go to a Lady Ga-Ga concert in a city that’s 200 miles away. None of you have even been there before so what’s your plan. Sure, you can toss your stuff into the trunk, jump into the car and take off. But I hope you wouldn’t do that.

A sensible plan would be to go into Google maps and type in the address. Google will give you a map. But if map reading isn’t your thing, you can put in your departure point and the destination address and Google will give you turn-by-turn instructions.

Now, with map and directions in hand you can toss your stuff into the trunk and be on your way. That’s what planning can do for you. So now let’s relate this idea to study.

Face it, without a clearly defined objective, how can you expect to reach your destination, much less evaluate your current situation. It is vitally essential that you are precise in setting and defining your goals. To simply say you want to get good grades does put a challenge on your plate. Sure, you want to be a good student, but doesn’t everyone. Maybe what you should be thinking about is being better than just good.

I’m going to give you a list of objectives and some of them may just be counter to your way of thinking. Consider the following points as merely suggestions. My hope is to get your thinking process stirred up so that you may edit, bend, twist or massage these points to suit your own personality:
1. I will be better than just average.
2. I will work toward getting good grades
3. I will improve my grades in my science courses.
4. I will get a High “B” in my math and science courses
5. I will improve my grades by at least 5% over last semester
6. I will have fun reaching all of my goals.
Notice that the word “should” isn’t used. These objectives are all written in a positive manner. You are not giving yourself an easy way out. By making positive affirmations you are putting success in your mind’s eye. If you can visualize success, you will be better able to recognize it when you reach it.

I purposely left out number 7. This is a freebee for you to decide. This is where you add in a goal of having some fun too. Maybe it will be a trip to some pleasant area like the beach or the mountains. Be sure to include your friends in your fun objectives as companionship is a healthy way to relax and put aside thoughts of school work. Don’t worry—you’ll get back to it soon enough.

Learning to study is a multi-disciplined adventure, but only if you approach it by being fully prepared. Set goals and objectives and then pursue them. So is your thinking still a little fuzzy about how to even begin to accomplish those 6 steps above. Stick with it, it will soon make sense.