How To Be A Good Student And Look After Your Well-Being

Getting good grades and doing well on projects might sound easy for some people. However, knowing how to improve your academic performance—or how to support your mental health while doing so can be challenging. If your goal is to become a better student, a few tips may help you improve your study habits, stay organized, and motivate yourself while looking after your well-being. 

Education and mental health 

When some people start school, they may focus on how to be a good student, succeed in class, and set themselves up for success. Wanting to do well in school can be normal. However, putting significant pressure on yourself may have negative consequences. A 2021 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 42% of high school students felt “persistently sad or hopeless.” 29% reported experiencing poor mental health overall. Meanwhile, a recent survey of nearly 100,000 US college students found that 44% experienced symptoms of depression, and 37% experienced symptoms of anxiety. 

Students may struggle with mental health for multiple reasons, but academic pressure is one of the most common. In an analysis from 2023, researchers looked at data from over 50 different studies of students from multiple countries. They found a link between academic pressure and symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

The importance of balance for high school and college students

Finding a balance between your relationships, studies, and hobbies may support your mental health and make your academic journey more sustainable. As you try various strategies, avoid putting pressure on yourself to use all of them at once. Instead, you might tell yourself that school is only one part of your life, set realistic goals, and permit yourself to make gradual changes. Check in with yourself about your mental health, and if you notice your stress levels climbing, consider seeking professional or academic support.  

Time management and organization

Staying on top of your coursework and assignments can be a part of being a successful student. However, doing so might be easier said than done. Learning to manage your time and stay organized could be a useful first step to save you time, effort, and stress. 

Time management strategies

Learning effective time management can be a process. Even if you attend classes regularly, you may still benefit from using techniques to organize your schedule. Consider the following: 

• Scheduling chunks of time each day for specific tasks (time blocking)
• Making daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists
• Working in bouts of 25 minutes with five-minute breaks in between (the Pomodoro Technique)
• Categorizing tasks by urgency and level of importance (the Eisenhower Matrix)
• Doing groups of similar tasks all at once (batching)

Tips for staying organized

While potentially challenging, staying organized may boost your productivity and free up more time in your day. Proper organization may also have mental health benefits. Tips for improving your organization can include:

• Keep all your papers, books, and assignments for each class in a specific place. 
• Keep your desk tidy and free of clutter.
• Color-code your folders and notebooks for different classes. 
• Set reminders on your computer or phone to notify you of upcoming tests, events, and due dates.
• Keep your study environment separate from the rest of your living space.

Strategies for motivating yourself and paying attention

Studies have found that attention spans have gotten shorter in recent years. Because academic success can depend on being able to motivate yourself and pay attention for long periods, this issue may be impactful if you’re a student. Staying on track may be easier if you learn to harness your attention and stay motivated. 

Strategies for paying attention

Paying attention during class can be difficult, especially for students who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or learning disabilities. Even for those who don’t, technology, relationships, and other distractions can still be a challenge. To improve your attention during class, you can try:

• Turning off your phone before class starts
• Sitting near the front of the classroom
• Asking questions and participating in class discussions
• Avoiding multitasking
• Keeping an upright, alert posture
• Staying hydrated and getting enough sleep

Motivating yourself throughout your education

You may have difficulty staying motivated during school if you aren’t interested in the material. However, there are steps you can take to remain invested, both in high school and in college. These steps might include:

• Setting achievable, measurable goals that you can work toward each day
• Reflecting on your longer-term goals and how your current studies may help you reach them
• Celebrating your progress (including small daily progress) with activities or treats
• Viewing mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures
• Looking for ways to connect what you’re learning to your passions and interests

Strategies for learning and absorbing information

The process of learning can be easy to overlook when you’re in school. However, how you learn can be as essential as what you learn. Finding a system that helps you absorb information and do your best work may set the stage for academic success. 

Personalizing your studies

The theory that everyone has a different “learning style” has been a topic of debate. However, you may still find that you learn best in particular environments or using specific methods. If you aren’t sure how you learn best, reflect on your past academic achievements and look for common themes. Taking advantage of these preferences may be easier than forcing yourself to follow an “ideal” learning process. Tips for customizing your studies include:

• Schedule your study sessions at a time of day when you’re most focused.
• Work on your most challenging assignments first. 
• If you learn better around others, form study groups or attend study hall. 
• Find a workspace that lets you focus, whether it’s a stimulating environment like a coffee shop or a quiet place like the library. 
• Experiment with various learning tools, such as podcasts, apps, textbooks, and videos, and use the ones most helpful to you. 
• Avoid pressuring yourself to use specific study techniques just because you see other successful students using them. 

Strategies for learning new information

In addition to paying attention in class, using specific methods to absorb the course material may help you retain it better. For example, activities where students explain concepts from class to one another may make the information more accessible to remember. (This technique is sometimes called “active learning”). Other learning strategies include:

• Color-coding information when taking notes
• Spaced repetition (reviewing information at regular intervals)
• Chunking (breaking class content into smaller, more digestible pieces)
• Using mnemonic devices (like setting your notes to music, using acronyms, or rhyming to remember information)
• Gamification (turning study sessions into games with goals and rewards)

Tips for managing your relationships

On the surface, social connections might not seem to play a role in academic success. However, research shows that peer relationships—especially supportive and motivating—can significantly affect academic performance. The following tips aim to help you make the most of your relationships in school:

• Participate in extracurricular activities that genuinely interest you to meet like-minded people. 
• Set and enforce healthy boundaries around your time, space, and interactions. 
• Ask other students to study with you or collaborate on projects together.
• Be authentic, respectful, and open in your communication. 
• Offer support to your friends, and reach out for support when you’re struggling. 
• Practice social strategies like active listening and open body language. 
• Avoid spending time around people who pressure you into unhealthy behaviors. 

Self-care strategies

Even with a manageable course load, caring for your well-being can be easy to overlook between attending class and juggling extracurricular activities. However, like relationships, self-care can significantly affect academic success. Strategies for practicing self-care as a student include:

• Eating balanced, nutritious foods
• Getting regular physical exercise
• Aiming to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night
• Avoiding alcohol and drugs
• Spending time each day on a hobby you enjoy
• Relaxing with meditation, yoga, journaling, or other mindfulness-based activities

Resources for high school and college students

Professional support options 

Finding time to see a therapist can be challenging if you're overwhelmed by school. With online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp, you can schedule counseling sessions at a time that works for you and attend therapy over voice calls, video calls, or live messaging. This flexibility may make fitting therapy into your schedule more manageable. 

Studies show that online therapy can treat mental health concerns that may be common among students. In 2017, researchers analyzed data from 373 studies of internet-based therapy. They found that online therapy was an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, and other conditions.