Learning Archives - Daniel Wong

How to Beat Exam Stress: 25 Tips Backed by Research

Updated on September 19, 2018 By Daniel Wong 25 Comments

Does exam stress frequently affect your grades?

If so, you’re in the right place.

In this article, I’ll share with you scientific tips that are proven to help you overcome exam stress.

I guarantee that if you apply the tips, you’ll become a calmer, happier and more successful student.

Let’s get started!

FREE BONUS: Download a PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 5 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Clear your room and your desk

Have you heard the saying “A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind”?

It turns out it’s not just something your mother says to get you to clean your room. It’s scientifically correct.^[1]

The more clutter you have around your workspace, the less you’re able to concentrate on preparing for the exam. This is because your brain is being bombarded by so many distractions.

Physical clutter overloads your brain and impairs your ability to think, which leads to stress.

So you need to clear your desk and your room. Do the following:

Reduce as much clutter as you can around your workspace. Get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be there, e.g. photos, snacks, staplers. Move them out of sight, or out of your room completely.
Use drawers. Store things away in your drawers or wardrobe. The only things you should have on your desk are the tools and books you need to complete your current assignment.
Clean your space. Now that you’ve cleared your space, give your desk and room a good clean.
Straighten up before you go. Take 5 minutes at the end of the day to clear everything away, so you can start again tomorrow with an uncluttered desk and an uncluttered mind.

2. Read something for leisure

It’s proven that reading for pleasure can reduce stress by up to 68%.^[2]

Reading relaxes your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles.

So the next time you feel the tension rise at the thought of an impending exam, pick up a good book and give yourself a 10-minute reading break. [Read more…]

How to Get Motivated to Study: 23 Tips for Students Who Procrastinate

Updated on December 5, 2018 By Daniel Wong 20 Comments

Is it hard for you to get motivated to study?

Let’s face it…

It’s so easy to watch just one more YouTube video, or to scroll through your social media feed just one more time.

But your exams are approaching. They’re getting nearer by the day.

You have a rising sense of panic, but you don’t know where to begin. The more you panic, the harder it is to get to work.

If this is the situation you’re in, keep reading.

In this article, I’m going to explain 23 proven strategies that successful students use to motivate themselves to study.

Get ready to say goodbye to procrastination!

FREE BONUS: This article is 3,000 words long, so I’ve created a PDF summary for your convenience. Download it here for free. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 7 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Discover why you procrastinate

Procrastination is a complex problem that can have many different causes.

Here are some of the most common:

You’ve convinced yourself that your homework is beyond your abilities
Putting off your homework is a way of rebelling against your parents or teachers
You’ve decided the topic is boring
You’re waiting for the “perfect” time to start
The task has become so overwhelming that you don’t know where to start

Understanding why you procrastinate is a key first step to getting motivated.

Spend some time reflecting on what makes you procrastinate. This will enable you to identify which of the following tips will help you the most.

2. Break the material down into chunks

A major cause of procrastination is that the task ahead seems overwhelming.

That’s when you need to “chunk down”.

Break down each task into small chunks.

Assign yourself a certain number of those chunks each day. Suddenly, you’re no longer faced with a scary task, but rather a series of manageable chunks.

A chunk might be reading three pages of your textbook, completing five multiple-choice questions, or finding three reference articles on the Internet for your paper.

3. Reward yourself

Every time you complete one or two chunks, reward yourself with a short period of relaxation.

It could be five minutes on your favourite smartphone game, a short walk, or playing the guitar.

Rewarding yourself with short and enjoyable breaks is a key part of the “chunking down” technique. [Read more…]

40 Ways to Be Successful in School: Practical Tips for Students

Updated on December 5, 2018 By Daniel Wong 34 Comments

Do you think of yourself as a smart student?

Probably not.

If you’re like most students, you probably feel as if you take a while to grasp new concepts.

Or that you don’t perform up to expectations because of exam stress.

I know… It seems as if successful students are born smart. No matter what else is going on in their personal lives or extracurricular activities, they always get good grades.

I was a straight-A student throughout my academic career, but I’ll be the first to declare that grades aren’t everything. Grades are only one part of your education.

I’ve come to realise that successful students aren’t more intelligent than other students.

They’re just more disciplined and focused, and they’ve developed winning habits.

So even if you don’t feel as if you’re a smart student, don’t worry.

In this article, I’m going to share with you how to be successful in school, even if you don’t think of yourself as a good student. (Download the free bonus below to learn 10 bonus tips too!)

BONUS: This article is 3,500 words long, so I’ve created a PDF summary for your convenience. Download it here for free. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 10 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Rely on systems, not motivation

Students who do well in school don’t wait until they’re in the mood to study before they get down to work.

Neither do they wait until they feel motivated before they start preparing for an exam.

Instead, successful students rely on systems to ensure that they get the work done, even when they don’t feel like it.

(Keep on reading to find out what some of these systems are.)

2. Review any new information you’ve learned on the same day

This daily review won’t take long to complete, but it’s a vital step that ensures you stay on top of the material.

Applying this tip will also help you to move the information to your long-term memory more quickly. [Read more…]

50 Words of Wisdom Every Student Needs to Hear

November 27, 2017 By Daniel Wong 23 Comments

I completed my formal education some years ago.

Thinking about the 16 years I spent as a student, I realise that I would have had a more fulfilling time in school if I’d been wiser.

It takes time to acquire wisdom. To help students through this process, I decided to write this article, in which I’ll share 50 words of wisdom every student should hear.

(Download the free PDF below to learn 10 bonus tips.)

If you apply the advice in this article, I’m confident that you’ll become a happier, more successful student.

FREE BONUS: Download a PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 10 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Don’t take your parents for granted. Your parents may nag you, and you may feel as if they don’t understand you. But they love you unconditionally, so appreciate them as often as you can.

2. Getting a bad grade isn’t the end of the world. In a few years, you won’t even remember most of your grades. If you get a bad grade, learn from your mistakes and prepare better for the next exam.

3. Use the Internet as a tool for education more than entertainment. The Internet can keep you entertained for hours. But with sites like Udemy, Udacity and How Stuff Works, the Internet can also make you a far more educated person.

4. Stress is a fact of life, but it should never become a way of life. This means that it’s normal to feel stressed and tired once in a while. But if you feel stressed and tired almost every day, then you need to reevaluate your life to see what you ought to be doing differently. [Read more…]

45 Time Management Tips for Students (Advice From a Lifelong Straight-A Student)

Updated on February 21, 2018 By Daniel Wong 14 Comments

Everyone gets the same 24 hours each day.

Albert Einstein, Mother Teresa, Isaac Newton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Leonardo da Vinci – they all had 24 hours a day, just like you and me.

What enabled them to lead such significant lives?

They managed their time well.

This article is all about effective time management tips for students.

As a student, I got straight A’s while sleeping eight hours a night, and graduated from Duke University with a GPA of 3.98/4.0.

(I don’t say this to boast, because education definitely isn’t only about getting straight A’s!)

But given that so many students ask me to share time management tips with them, I decided to compile the best ones I know.

By putting the tips in this article into practice, you’ll become more focused and less stressed.

You’ll have more time to do meaningful things outside of school too!

So let’s take a look at the 45 tips.

BONUS: Download a free PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 5 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Take a study break every 40 to 50 minutes

Research shows that working in blocks of 40 to 50 minutes is optimal for productivity.

If you feel as if you can’t focus for that long, try out the Pomodoro Technique for a start.

2. If you’re feeling unmotivated, set a timer for two minutes

If you don’t feel like doing work, set a timer for two minutes. Then tell yourself that you just need to focus for that amount of time.

Chances are that once you’ve started work, you’ll continue even after the two minutes are up.

3. Make good use of your travel time

It’s tempting to use your commute time to surf the Internet or go through your social media feeds.

But you can use the time to think about a concept you haven’t grasped, write in your gratitude journal, or listen to an audiobook.

This is a simple time management tip that goes a long way in helping you become a successful student! [Read more…]

How to Get Organised for School: 30 Simple Tips for Students

Updated on November 9, 2018 By Daniel Wong 9 Comments

Life as a student is busy. There’s so much going on.

If you’re not organised and you feel like you’re not on top of things, stress can build up.

You might end up working late and sleeping less to try to catch up, but this isn’t a good habit.

Getting organised for school is all about developing good habits and systems.

Through my experiences, I’ve come up with these 30 simple tips that will help students to become organised, productive, and effective.

BONUS: Download a free PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 3 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Develop a routine

Consistency is the key to student success. So write down your general weekly schedule and create a routine.

Include things like when you’ll do your homework, when you’ll review the things you’ve learned, when you’ll exercise, and so on.

It’s not possible to stick to a routine 100% of the time, but at least set up the framework to keep you focused and on track.

2. Set rules for yourself

Set some very specific rules for yourself. These could be things like “complete all projects and assignments at least two days before they are due” or “start studying for tests at least one week in advance”.

Review your rules once a month and adjust them if necessary.

3. Write everything down

No one has a perfect memory, and trying to remember everything is stressful. So make a habit of writing down all your events, meetings, ideas, and things you need to do.

Use a notebook or planner, or try an app like Google Keep or Any.do that you can use on your phone and computer.

When you write everything down, you’ll be less anxious because you won’t be relying on your brain as a storage device. [Read more…]

Top 26 Useful Websites for Students

Updated on July 4, 2017 By Daniel Wong 1 Comment

The Internet.

Is there a better gift for students?

It allows you to keep in touch with friends, and it also gives you something to do when you’ve completed your schoolwork.

Without the Internet, life would be more dull.

You might love the Internet as a way to relax, but there’s also a lot that it can do to help you improve your study habits and make you more successful.

The following list contains the top useful websites to enable you to get organized, develop new skills, and plan for the future.

So the next time you take a break, check out some of these websites!

FREE BONUS: PDF summary of this article, which also contains a bonus list of 5 mobile apps that every student should use.

Enter your email in the box below to get the PDF.

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Scheduling, Organization, and Personal Effectiveness

1. MyStudyLife

MyStudyLife is a free app that lets you coordinate your calendar and to-do list.

Designed especially for schools, this is a planner that can be customized for rotating schedules and long-term assignments.

You can even set up reminders about your homework due dates and store assignments in the cloud, so they’re always accessible.

2. KeepMeOut

If you find yourself becoming distracted by your favorite entertainment websites, use KeepMeOut to create a bookmark in your browser that sets off an alarm when you visit these websites too often.

It’s a great way to help you create effective web-surfing habits! [Read more…]