Achieving success in education is not just about hard work; it’s about organisation and good practices. Throughout our years of helping students achieve success, we have come to see that good students don’t just work hard; they work efficiently and in a well-organised manner.

A lot of students come to us looking for help with their schoolwork. Often, the first thing we do is to make sure that they are using their time, resources, and space correctly. If students aren’t managing their time effectively, or organising their work in a productive way, then no amount of hard work or last minute cramming will be of much help.

So, today, I thought I’d give you a list of 5 things you can do TODAY to ensure that your child is ready to be successful in their study.

1. Organise a Working Space

Let me put this simply: even the most intelligent student cannot work effectively on the couch, in bed, in front of the television, or at the breakfast table. Students need a dedicated space for homework and study, such as a desk or a table. This space should be quiet, free from distractions, and have all the resources (books, pens, paper) that your child needs to complete the work.

2. Make Sure They Are Using a Calendar or Diary

One of the most common problems we observe is when students lose track of what work they have to do, and when it is due. There is nothing more embarrassing than arriving at school to find out that you have forgotten an assignment, or more stressful than realising that you have to write a whole essay in one night. For this reason, it is important to make sure your child is using a calendar or a diary to keep track of upcoming work. Using a diary effectively is a fantastic skill that, if developed early, will help them throughout high school, VCE, University, and for the rest of their lives.

3. Help Them Create a Study Timetable

When it comes to study, consistency is the key. When I was at high school, I developed a study timetable for myself to ensure that I was doing enough work for each subject each day. On Friday nights, for example, my timetable would look like this.

4:00-4:30: Get home, have a snack, get changed.

4:30-5:00: Read novel for English

5:00-6:00: Complete maths homework for Monday

6:00-6:30: Have a break, watch Television

6:30-7:00: Revise notes for Psychology

It is important that such a timetable is realistic. Students should allow time for breaks and relaxation. If the schedule is too unachievable, it will ultimately be ignored. By breaking up the huge amount of work into smaller, more manageable tasks throughout the week, it is less likely that students will feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to do.

4. Help Them Organise Their Notes

This is a simple one, but an important one. Your child should have a book and a folder for each of their subjects. In their folder, they should keep all the notes, handouts and assignments that are relevant for that subject. Your child should make sure they take the right book and folder to each class. Without a good organisation system, important information will get lost: important notes may be written in the wrong book, assignment sheets may go missing, or students may not bring their homework to the right class. By making sure your child has a good system of organising their notes in place, you will save them a lot of stress.

5. Set Goals

This is one of the most important things you can do with your child on a regular basis: discuss their goals. Obviously, you have goals for your child: you want them to get good marks, win a scholarship to a selective school, get a high ATAR score, and get into a good course in University. You should discuss your child’s goals with them and figure out what goals you share, and how you can work towards them. Here are a few tips that will help with setting goals.

1. Goals should be small and achievable. Larger goals (getting a good ATAR score) should be broken down into smaller ones (getting a good score on the next SAC).

2. You should have a plan for achieving the goal. Encourage your child to plan what they have to do in order to succeed. Make sure they follow through on their plans.

3. You should reflect on the success of the goal setting process. Was the goal achieved? Why/Why not? What can your child do to be more successful next time?

4. Success should be recognised. If your child sets a goal and achieves it, make sure you recognise their hard work. They will definitely appreciate it.

Hopefully, I have given you a lot to think about for today. If you would like to learn more about how you can help your child to set goals click here to download our FREE goal setting guide.