The term "academic weapon" has gained popularity in recent years due to social media outlets such as TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. It describes someone who challenges themselves to be the best they can be in their schooling and studies. These people are looked up to as successful, and users follow accounts promoting academic weaponry hoping to integrate the mindset into their own lives. However, many realize early on that the perceived perfection of an academic weapon is not as easy as it looks, often getting overwhelmed with the pressure of immediate change.

These easy, simple steps and ideas increase the chances of truly becoming an academic weapon and seeing the most success in your student or professional life.

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What's Holding You Back?

Becoming an academic weapon is an ambitious feat, where some's first failure is adding the goal to their to-do list. Hypocritical, right? Putting more on your plate can lead to stress or becoming overwhelmed and burnt out.

There are also small habits within your daily life you may not even realize that contribute to your setback.

After-school Naps

Coming home from a tiring day of school to cuddle up in your nice, warm bed sounds like heaven on Earth, yet the Sleep Foundation claims that it may be harmful to take naps after 3 pm, although most students are not even home by that time. Taking a long nap before your full sleep at night can cause fatigue, grogginess, lower concentration, and sleeplessness later.

It is best to avoid it as much as you can, as napping time or the consequences of the nap can transfer over into poor performance or too much work stacking up. However, if you do feel exhausted or sleep deprived, shorter naps under 30 minutes allow your body to reset, refocus, and promote cognitive health.

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Doom-scrolling

5 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time to be on your phone until you keep adding 5 minutes over and over then you look at the clock and see it is late, leaving you unmotivated to do anything for the rest of the night. It may feel good to unwind and decompress the mind, but this is the most major time eater in many people’s day. By pausing your apps or turning your phone’s notifications off for even an hour or two you will be surprised by how much you can get done in that time.

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Procrastination and Denial

We can all agree that procrastination is bad, so why are we stuck in the habit of it? Jumping out of the mindset of “do it later” is the first thing that has to go. It isn’t too late to start good work, but there is a time limit for great work. Motivation isn’t the key to academic weaponry, but instead, it's DISCIPLINE.

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Tips to Becoming an Academic Weapon

Start Small

Studying can feel like an all-or-nothing activity, and too many tasks become overbearing. Taking it one step at a time minimizes the pressure and allows for an open mind to complete tasks at a manageable pace. All the work will get done about the same time as if you were multitasking, and perhaps even faster when focusing on one task.

Being an academic weapon isn’t just about doing all your work, it is about completing work efficiently and effectively. You can not learn when rushing, and once you realize it is okay to breathe and concentrate on the matter at hand, the material will click much better.

Write a To-Do list

Speaking of getting things done one at a time, writing down a to-do list creates a ready example of all the work that needs to be done in an organized and beneficial manner. There are countless reasons why a to-do list is good for you, some being that it helps remind you of homework and tests, motivates you to cross off tasks, and puts jumbled thoughts into one cohesive piece.

Wrapping your head around all the things you have to do brings attention away from what is important and puts us at the stake of stress. From personal experience, those viewed as succeeding in their academics all have one common factor, a to-do list!

Enjoy Your Stationary

Finding joy in the studying or schoolwork process is hard to come by on a regular basis, but by integrating small pieces of happiness, it's a whole different story! Anywhere from your favorite color highlighters, cute stickers, or playful erasers, using tools you enjoy makes the experience much more engaging and tolerable.

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Getting Stuff Done ASAP

Maybe you’re tired, but the sooner you get your work done the sooner you can finally relax. “Relaxing” before you start work and stressing the entire time is hardly the way to spend your valuable free time. Getting it done the second you are available will open up your opportunities for more you-time, as well as put you on the path to success. Getting assignments or set studying time done early will also leave more time for reviewing, resting, and ensuring you have completed all your work.

Find Your Study Method

You’ve probably heard that everyone learns a different way, and studying is just another part of learning, so why subject yourself to conforming to one way of studying? Maybe you see methods that work for others, but not you, and that is completely okay. There are many ways to study, as seen here on CourseMentor!

Understand the Material- Just Ask!

The test or exam category makes up a large portion of your grade percentage and being prepared for tests is the best way to keep grades in check. Readying for a test isn’t solely cramming the night before, but starts as soon as you’re learning the information for the first time. If your teacher is giving notes but you don’t understand the words or concepts, ask what they mean.

It is their job to ensure that you learn the material- it’s you and them not you versus them. Writing down just what the teacher says or has posted will get you by, but to exceed you need to engrave the information with your own thoughts. Highlighting, annotating, and summarizing your notes or material concepts pushes the boundaries and certifies your comprehension for future reference.

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Study Buddies

Being around academically-minded people inspires you to work hard like them. They can help you with schoolwork, studying, encouragement, tips, or just be a nice shoulder to lean on. Seeing other people put effort into something you want pushes you further and gives you a better base to view your own work with.

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You Got This!!

Committing to your goals is the best way to see them come true. Becoming an academic weapon isn’t easy, as stated before, but using these steps and ideas will push you in the right direction. It is a commendable feat but is something anyone can do.

Keep at it and you will see results very quickly. Good luck!