If you’ve just started Year 11 or 12, there’s one super easy study habit you NEED to implement if you want to stay on top of all your work throughout the year. We like to call this a Domino Habit.
This is because if you get it right, staying on top of your content, organisation and other study habits throughout the year will be so much easier. If you hit the first domino, all the other dominoes will fall.
So in this video, we’re going to share with you the easiest study habit that will have the biggest impact on the overall results that you achieve in Year 11 and Year 12.
What is The Habit?
Step #1: Shift Focus from Time to Output
Step #2: Prioritise
So, What is The Habit?
It’s pretty simple: write a daily to-do list.
Hold up! There’s a bit more to it though.
Through our research, we found that this one HSC study habit is an absolute game-changer in terms of improving your overall productivity. However, there are a few steps you need to take if you want to make sure that it’s super effective.
So let’s find out how to make the perfect to-do list.
Step #1: Shift Focus From Time to Output
How do you measure the quality of your study right now?
When your mum or dad asks how your study went, what do you tell them?
You might say: “I got two hours of study done.”
However, I think if you’re really being honest with yourself, that two hours of study probably looks like 60 minutes of watching YouTube, 40 staring at a wall, and maybe 20 minutes of actually doing high-focus study.
As you can see, time is such a bad way to measure your study. This is because it has zero correlation to output and how much work you’re actually completing.
So what you need to do when writing a to-do list is be really conscious of what you want the output of your study session to be. At the end of each session, you want to look at your to-do list and know what you’ve achieved.
So when implementing this #1 HSC study habit, don’t just write down everything and anything, put down tasks that are going to effectively progress you towards a visible goal.
Rather than using your list as a guide while you still follow a time limit as your main measurement of study, you should be measuring your study by the tasks you complete!
Need some help holding yourself accountable? We have an incredible Hoxton Park tutoring team that can support you.
Step #2: Prioritise
When you come home from school and start studying, what’s the first thing you do?
I want to make a bet it’s either one of two possible scenarios.
- The most urgent task: you might have an assessment or an assignment due, so you jump in and start working on it. The time leading up to due dates can be super stressful, so this approach makes a lot of sense.
- The easiest task: when you get home from school, you might start with what’s easiest before you get into the nitty-gritty. From what I’ve observed, heaps of students usually have this approach.
See, we’ve got a little bit of a problem here.
The problem is that the most important task doesn’t get done, right? You do other stuff first, you get tired, you never get there. This is a terrible HSC study habit!
Ultimately, the thing that’s going to make the biggest difference for you over the course of the year is actually working on the hard and important tasks first.
You need to keep this in mind when crafting your to-do list as it’s going to enable you to actually LEARN MORE in LESS TIME.
So the second reason why it’s critical to write a to-do list is that you can be much more intentional about what you study through prioritisation.
So there you have it. Just follow these two simple steps and you’ll have an awesome to-do list that’ll help you glide through the HSC!
Want to ace the first term of Year 12? We’ve put together a week to week ultimate guide to Term 1 of Year 12 with essential resources here.
Looking for some extra help with your implementing a domino habit?
We pride ourselves on our inspirational mentors and tutors who can help support you during Year 11-12.
With small groups classes, or personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at one of our state of the art campuses, we can help you regardless of where you live! If you’re based in the Hills area, our Bella Vista tutors are here to support you.
To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor get in touch today!
Give us a ring on 1300 267 888, email us at [email protected] or check us out on TikTok!
