Dear reader,

Well today is the day of the fourth and final (and maybe the most useful) tip.

Tip 4: How to get yourself to actually stick to your to do lists and homework schedules.
Well since this step is rather tricky I am going to provide you with a couple of options depending on the level of discipline you already have.

Dear reader,

I apologize for the one day delay: I couldn’t get round to posting yesterday. Well, here is tip number 3!

Tip 3: Making to do lists and homework schedules.

Section 1: Making a to do list.
It is always handy to make a to do list while studying. This will enable you to see in one glance what is that needs to be done for this week. Also, by making such a list the chances of you missing a deadline, because you ‘did not know you had to do it’ decrease rapidly. (I would really advice you to do this: I do it myself as well).
How do you make a to do list? Well it is very easy. You open a word document and fill in the days of the week on which you have school. Under each day you add the assignment and homework that needs to be done for that week. If you have several subjects on the same day, it is advisable to add what homework needs to be done for what subject. Here you will find a (fictional... and rather optimistic lol) example of what my to do list usually looks like.

Dear reader,

Well, as promised here is tip number 2!

Tip 2: Orientate yourself on your goal.
Although you have done some research before choosing your goal, it is very important to gather some more information afterwards as well. Try to find out what exactly will be expected of you on the road to get there, and you will not find yourself confronted with sudden surprises. When you, for example, start a new study it might be useful to take a good look at the study guide (every university has one) to see what types of subjects you will be doing; not only for the coming semester, but for all three or four (or more) years of your study. By doing so you will be preparing yourself for the types of subjects which you will encounter and you will be able to form a picture of the amount of work which it might prove to be. Of course this is not possible by merely reading the course description, but also by looking at the books which are mentioned in the study guide. You could try to see if some of them are available on google books, so you can have a peak at them (just for the meantime if you have not yet ordered or bought your book). The amount of work might seem a bit much if you view everything at once, but do not let yourself get discouraged: you do not have to read these books all at the same time. You will be offered a schedule by your instructors, which will make the course material come across as more structured and clear.

Dear reader,

As a lot of people have asked me how I became as disciplined as I am today when it comes to studying, and how they could become as disciplined themselves, I have decided to post some tips in my blog. I was actually planning on giving a couple of quick tips… but seeing that there are so many situations and so many methods to be explained, I have decided to dedicate several blogposts to the subject. It will be somewhat like a series of posts. I will add a new post every day. Please note that I do not follow a study in psychiatry or psychology and that I have merely drawn on my own experiences with studying, as well as of those people around me, for the ideas and tips that I will be posting.

Over the years some people have pointed out that I have what they call ‘iron discipline’.
When it comes to studying I am hardworking and no matter how much I dislike to do something, I still do it as it has to be done. And no, with doing it I do not mean doing it half heartedly or rushing through it; no I spend just as much time and thought on it as on the other things that I do like. However, this does not mean that it is always easy for me to do so. It hardly ever is. I am not super human and probably hate it as much everyone else. How many times I have for example cursed the book ‘The life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman’ I do not remember, but I really wanted to ritually burn it after finishing it. So in this respect I am no different from anyone, and can therefore perfectly understand why others do not do it. Now remains the question: how on earth do we get ourselves to do the things we dislike? Time for tip number 1 ;).

(Please note that the first section is for those of you who are leaving high school and those who are searching to find a new studies. The second and third section is for people who have already chosen their studies or goal).