12 Unusual But Useful Tips to Students
Student advice does not always have to revolve around productivity.
1: Use stickers instead of colored pens
If you want to embellish your notebook, put away your colored pens.
Colored pens increase unproductive multitasking, because you have to pay attention to how and when you use each pen at the same time as you study and take notes. Because stickers can be added afterward, and are different enough from note-taking pens, they establish a clear distinction between the writing part and decorating part of studying. They also come in many different sizes, colors, and motifs — and are thus more personalized.
Whereas colored pens might distract you from your notes, stickers add to your notes.
2: Get your own cup
Reduce the number of plastic and paper cups you drink from and use a unique cup of your own instead.
For one, it looks fun and unique and adds a layer of personality to your daily meals. Secondly, if you use a recyclable cup for your frequent intake of coffee or tea, you help protect the environment. Finally, you might also save a lot of money from simply depending on always having it with you.
Plastic and paper cannot compete in the long run.
3: Stand up once an hour
Students spend a lot of their time sitting.
They sit in lecture halls, cafeterias, and desks most of their time. Taking a one-minute break from sitting can help loosen up the body a little. Plus, by standing up and removing your nose from your screen, you might get a better and fresher perspective on things.
Standing for even just one minute can make a huge difference.
4: Borrow your textbooks
Too many students waste their time.
They procrastinate and postpone work — or they spend way too much time trying to memorize every single page of the book. Borrowing a textbook from a library or a friend can solve this issue. By placing a time limit on yourself, you stave off procrastination whilst also limiting yourself to only read up on the material that truly matters.
Borrowing your textbooks might just save you weeks of your time.
5: Keep a plant
Tending to a plant is an amazing commitment to make.
They bring nature home to you. They force you to become more attentive to the demands and cycles of your environment. Furthermore, they train your ability to take care of something of your own responsibility, which might inspire you to work on other aspects of your life that need tending.
Besides, what better satisfaction than seeing the growth of your project?
6: Read fiction books
Student life is mostly about reading academic literature.
To spice things up, you should read more fiction books. They can spark a love for reading even in the most book-averse student, and they are great ways to unwind whilst also nurturing that part of you that wants to learn. That, and three other reasons.
To truly learn, you should read more than what is on your syllabus.
7: Take walks in the park
Sometimes, you have to stop and smell the flowers.
As writer Gina Trapani says, walking in nature is one of the best ways to take a break from your work. You get away from your four walls and find inspiration in your newer observations. So, really look at nature and allow your mind to wander.
Disconnect from your mind and connect with the world.
8: Get a massage
Students have a high risk for back pain.
They carry heavy loads on their backs, sit hunched over their desks, and lounge with poor posture in comfortable chairs with friends. The long-term solution would be to fix your posture and work on your back muscles. The easiest solution in the moment would be to get a massage.
This might be a pleasant way to spend your break anyway.
9: Cry when you feel like it
Tears have a healing effect.
They calm the body and nurture the mind, and they give you emotional strength. They make you more equipped to handle difficult feelings and sources of stress. And in relation to studying, they allow you to rest and prepare you for the next session to come.
Remember, you are never weak for listening to what your body is telling you.
10: Stop biting your nails
Nail biting is a tough but necessary habit to unlearn.
First off, it looks disgusting to outsiders and signals a lack of self-control. Furthermore, it makes everything you touch slightly more unclean. Besides, the habit does not really get you anywhere: at the end of your day, your nails just look horrible.
Leave your poor nails alone and focus on other things.
11: Practice drawing
Instead, use your hands to draw.
It is important to have a creative outlet to stimulate that part of us that seeks to explore, create, and learn. Drawing is perhaps the best contender for the everyday student, because it forces you to actively observe your environment closely to transform your knowledge into another, more visual form. As Chris Ware says, “Drawing is simply another way of seeing.”
Use drawing to put your internal and external knowledge onto paper.
12: Eat breakfast in silence
Mornings often influence the rest of the day.
Therefore, in order to be focused during the rest of the day, you need to be focused during breakfast. Unless you live with someone else (which might pose a problem), your breakfasts should be spent in silence — which means no phone, no entertainment, and no mental distractions. Otherwise, you might start and exit the day with procrastination.
You do not want to be overloaded with information before you even sit down to study.
So, try out some of these tips and elevate your student life one step at a time.
