My eyelids were getting heavier with every tick of the clock. At two o’ clock in the morning, I was still up, trying to get away with my literature assignment. The next morning was the deadline for submissions. To keep up with it, I would have to have a sleepless night.

It was my habit to study in fits and starts. I had been good at putting off studying till the last night before exams. I would have a study plan, which I disregarded steadily.

I would not study in bits and pieces. I would wait and wait till the undone coursework piled up. A bulk of pending work was the only good reason for me to pretend taking studies seriously. I would habitually look for an idyllic mood to study and most of my productive time lapsed meanwhile.

Motivational talks and self-help articles on how to be consistent in studies fascinated me. They only made me daydream of a steady study routine.

Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, but what you do consistently. — Marie Forleo

I was fond of playing truant from school. I didn’t enjoy my time away from the class. I remained preoccupied with what was happening in the classroom when I was on an outing spree.

Many students might relate to my woes. If you too persistently take your studies for granted, it’s time to call it a day. Lately, I had a talk on my study habits with my uncle, who is a data scientist and had been a consistent student through his academic career. In the light of his own experience, he was pleased to share the following pros of studying regularly. So here we go.

No regrets

If your academic assignments are constantly pending, you are prone to feeling guilty of being a slacker. Conversely, if you stick fast to your study plan, it will give you a sense of accomplishment. As a by-product of consistency, you will savour every moment of your spare time. You will not have to carry the burden of an unfinished coursework.

Better retention

Regular study makes you retain information for a longer duration. Facts and concepts related to a particular subject of study tend to stay in your memory only as impressions. But if you study the subject frequently, you will start making a clearer sense out of it.

Stress relief

Habitual study reduces the stress associated with an exam or a deadline. Assume that the due date of an assignment is one week away. If you delay work on that assignment till the eleventh hour, it will just mess up your studies. Instead, daily time allocation to the assignment will make you complete it on time and with less fret.

Being a consistent student does not imply studying excessively. The difference between regular and too much studying is that the former makes you a successful student, while the latter only causes unnecessary sweat. Alongside studies, a persistent student gives time to friends, hobbies and recreation.

Caution: It’s important to understand that consistent study might cause monotony. To kill the monotony, divide a long study hour into shorter chunks. Regular fun-filled breaks from a busy study routine will maintain your interest in studies and enhance your performance in the long run. Enjoy regular study!

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 13th, 2021