10 Stellar Success Habits to Fuel Students – At Any Age!

Your “Anderson Study & Life Hacks” series

“Whether you believe you can do a thing, or not, you are right.” This wisdom offered by automotive titan Henry Ford offered keen insight into an area of study and understanding we now often call Mindset Psychology. Stanford psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck is a leading researcher in this area and, specifically in ‘fixed and growth mindsets’. With a fixed mindset we think our abilities are innate and there is little we can do about them, a belief system that allows failures to rock us. With a growth mindset, we believe we can continually improve our abilities, achieve what we set our minds to, and failure reveals what we need to work on. The best news is – a growth mindset can be learned, we can be trained, if you will. As students, as professionals, as people, this means we can adopt the habits proven to enhance success and use them to skyrocket our studies, careers and lives to grand heights!

Through exploring leading-edge research and studying what has worked for our Anderson College students, we’ve compiled a list for you, no matter your age, if you’re going back to school after many years of being out of the education game or you’re just embarking on online learning and the journey. Read on, check out the links and hold on for the ride, to the next extraordinary level of your greatness at school and beyond.

10 Stellar Success Habits for Students

1.Have a Powerful Purpose

When the going gets tough, the tough get clear about what keeps them going. We all have a why behind what we’re doing, the method in our madness or drive, the purpose of our daily plan and action. Know yours, post it, review it and allow it to offer perspective in the midst of chaos and a clear understanding of the reason you’ll be celebrating at the end of your educational journey.

2.Plan Ahead, Manage Time and Your Goals

We often spend more time planning a two-week vacation than we do our daily lives. But successful students know, the key to mastering projects, studies and life is in mapping their way through their courses and activities and balancing school/work/life. Write it all down, calendar it, prioritize it, set goals small and large. Consider when your energy is at its peak and schedule accordingly. And for those low moments, don’t forget to include the downtime and rewards you need to rejuvenate.

3.Perpetually Organize

Get organized and stay organized. Those who maintain their grades, and their energy to tackle whatever challenges and work that comes their way, are perpetual organizers and rule their schedules, not the other way around. Organizing, creating to-do lists, checking off accomplishments and regrouping, reorganizing day-to-day, week-to-week, ensures you’re always on top of what’s required of you, and for you, to keep succeeding.

4.Imagine, Intend and Affirm Your Greatness

What we believe becomes who we are and so, in the spirit of maintaining and developing that growth mindset we mentioned earlier, we need to train (or retrain) our brains to focus on what is good, what is working, what is possible. We need to remind ourselves that we can handle it all, find solutions to challenges and ultimately achieve whatever it is that we passionately set our minds and hearts to. Imagine yourself succeeding, receiving top marks, graduating, working within your new career (and loving it!). Set intentions for your days, your weeks, your year and follow through. Write affirmations that empower you; act ‘as if’ you already are, or have achieved, what it is you desire. And then work, each and every day, toward it!

5.Maintain an Inspiring Study Space

Set up and keep up a tidy, separate space, that comforts and inspires you to work within. Have all your supplies and materials there and ready to work with. Put away that phone. Let go of distractions. Set a timer if you need. But let this place be where the magic happens.

6.Be Curious and Connected

Be fully engaged in this exciting time of your life. Be a sponge – take it all in with enthusiasm, take good notes, use study tips and the support of other students, career services, and/or family. Participate in class, ask questions and, as you do this, you’ll be noticed and suddenly you’re building relationships and connections for your future easily.

7.Leverage Technology for Your Advantage

A wealth of online resources for everything, from educational and personal support to research on the industry you’re looking to launch into and the companies you might like to work for, are there for you. Use them. Use technology to get tips, like these, to help you succeed. Demonstrate self control when it comes to tech. Don’t just lose yourself in YouTube Videos or allow yourself to go down the social media rabbit hole. Set an intention when you go online and stick to it.

8.Replace Perfect with Polished

Perfectionism can debilitate you from getting things done or bog you down with rewrite after rewrite and hinder rather than help you. You need to know if this is a vice for you and shift from perfecting your work to polishing it and then letting it go. You’ll learn to detect the difference.

9.Fuel Body and Mind

When we are busy and in the full swing of goal setting and accomplishment, it can be easy to let our selfcare slide. But to ensure we are functioning at optimal levels, both in mind and body, we have to make our health a priority by getting enough sleep, eating foods that fuel our bodies and drinking enough liquids to hydrate our brains. Successful students know that scheduling regular times for food and exercise are just as essential as deadlines for projects.

10.Relax, Release and Reward

The old adage “work hard – play hard” applies here. Scheduling times to relax and rejuvenate, learning to relieve stress through doing something you love or by learning powerful meditation techniques, and rewarding yourself for even small accomplishments, help to keep you motivated as well as feeling celebrated. While the end-goal is thrilling, life is about the journey, so you need to breathe and embrace the experiences all along the way.

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As students, you are on the precipice of exciting new careers and living a new dream. You deserve all the tips, tools and support required to achieve success. Whether you are considering studying to reach your goals, or are currently an Anderson student, we’re here for you. Contact our Admissions Team to learn about the exciting 30+ programs we have to offer. Or if you need support, our Career Services Team is always available to assist.

Quick Links to Fuel Your Success!

We want to make sure you have what you need to succeed! Check out these reference links:
• Mindsets | Psychology Today
• Top 10 Habits Students Can Steal From Successful People (studentlifenetwork.com)
• Eating Cheaply, Healthily, and Quickly | College Info Geek
• 12 Habits Of Successful Students: Turn Small Actions Into Big Wins In 2018 – Educational Connections (ectutoring.com)
• 10 Habits of Successful Students | Tutor Doctor
• 8 Habits of Highly Successful Students (collegeinfogeek.com)
• Top 10 Habits of successful students (jagranjosh.com)
• Growth Mindset and Student Achievement and Success (athlosacademies.org)
• Three Mindset Shifts That Can Help Students Succeed (berkeley.edu)
• Habits of Mind for Success | College Success (lumenlearning.com)
• The 24 Brilliant Benefits Of Meditation For Students (Backed By SCIENCE) – Exam Study Expert
• 10 Habits of Successful Students | Opportunity International