Studying is one of the most crucial things to the success of every student. You must be able to revise whatever you have learnt so that you can retain it well. Studying also helps you to efficiently distribute your knowledge depending on the problems you are presented with. This means that you know when to do what and therefore will seldom be found wanting. As you learn to study, you should also learn to avoid some study mistakes that could be holding you back.

You may wonder why some study sessions are better than others. More so, you may feel left out as your peers always seem to retain more study knowledge than you. The fact that they can study better is not necessarily owed to any special abilities or formulae. It just means that they are studying right, and you can too.

Below are five common study mistakes that could be holding you back and how to avoid them.

1. Responding to Every Impulse

This is a very common error that affects more people than you may think. The impulses are very diverse and may be acted upon in a number of ways. Let’s say you are watching a YouTube tutorial video. After watching and understanding, you would likely come across popups for similar, but completely irrelevant videos. If you are not focused enough, you might get carried away and forget exactly what you are trying to understand.

In order to avoid this, you should create a plan for each study session. Furthermore, you must cultivate a habit of periodically reminding yourself of your goal at intervals. These will help discipline you in the direction of your study goals.

2. Under-utilising Your Resources

The evolution of technology has made a lot of things easier in this past decade alone. As a student, one of the worst study mistakes that could be holding you back is an inability to use what you have. You may be the kind who prefers the more traditional methods of studying. And while you should have a good grasp of the basics, you should also consider other aspects.

Learning is not just about reading hardcopy books anymore. You can also read PDFs, articles, publications, watch videos, and attend seminars remotely. So, you should keep all these possibilities in mind and utilise them accordingly.

3. Panicking

It is very easy for any student to enter panic mode. All it would take is one sweeping look at your bulky course outline to make you freak out. But panicking won’t get you anywhere. It is actually one of the many study mistakes which could be holding you back. It is also one of the easiest to get over.

Whenever you feel the need to bawl over all the topics you have not read yet, think about all the others that you have covered. Then use that to remind yourself that you are now even closer to your prize. That should keep you focused.

4. Over-tasking

Over-tasking is an especially tricky con. While it is one of the many study mistakes that could be holding you back, it actually disguises itself as an advantage. When studying, there is a thin line between multitasking and just doing ridiculously too much. The latter is what is known as over-tasking, and it always leaves you with little more than you started with.

In order to stop over-tasking, you have to add a step-by-step approach to your study plan. This makes you less likely to take up too many topics at a time.

5. Forgetting to Take a Break

We all know the popular saying about all work and no play, but a few of us take it to heart. As you study, you should always remember to take a small break every now and then so that you don’t crash.

Sometimes, it may not be that you forget to take a break but that you postpone studying till the last possible minute at which you have no choice but to rush yourself. This is a similarly unbecoming study habit that can be solved when you plan ahead of time and allocate your time smartly.