After graduation from high school, I had no idea what I would do in college. Sure enough, I chose subjects, went to lectures, and got ready for exams. What I didn’t understand was how to organize the process so that my academic productivity would grow while my stress would decrease. It took me two years to make changes and succeed with college life, and I’m here to share the secret with you:

Successful students are not those who do well academically. They do well all around. 2019 is here; and if you want positive changes to come, start cultivating right habits today.

Consider these five to develop before your college submission.

Try before you’re ready

Do you know how most people approach trying and learning new things? They think: “First, I have to get skills. And once I’m able, I’ll go and do that!” Sorry but it’s not the principle successful students should maintain.

Why? Because, if thinking this way, you’ll never be ready. As a student, you may deal with the impostor syndrome: “Who am I to try? I don’t yet have a qualification for that.” But you know what? You don’t need a qualification or certifications to act.

Develop a habit to start doing before feeling ready. Believe me, you are more qualified than you think. So if something seems exciting – give it a try. Once you start, you’ll figure out how to do it. That’s what successful students do.

Keep an ear for opportunities

When you’re in school, tons of opportunities are around you. What you need to do is develop a habit of looking for them. Check bulletin boards on campus, join your school groups on social media, follow your teachers on Twitter or Instagram to stay informed about the latest news, etc.

This habit helped me get my first internship: scrolling the Facebook feed, I came through the post of my school’s career center where they told about an upcoming seminar on leadership from a big company in my niche. I went there and met my future mentor whose network assisted me in getting hired.

Learn more than given in class

Your main subjects in school are well and fine, but they shouldn’t become your only source for knowledge. Successful students do their best to find many interests behind their major, which helps them learn new things, discover new fields, and become more creative thanks to building a web of interconnections in the brain.

Develop a habit of learning outside of class, too. Be curious, attend online courses on soft skills, take part in webinars, go to student meetings. Sometimes one side step can help to discover new talents in you, build capabilities for new projects, and grow your emotional intelligence. So don’t be afraid of the independent approach to learning.

Find solutions

Develop positive thinking. Yes, I know it can be difficult with tons of essays to write, projects to complete, and exams to pass. But resigning yourself to failure is not what successful students need to do.

Become a solution-finder rather than give up once the problem appears. I don’t want to say you should come up with immediate solutions for every issue. What you need to do is persevere working and believe that you CAN solve it. To develop this habit, try the 15-minute rule.

Once you get stuck, give yourself 15 minutes to brainstorm the solutions. Don’t give anything up right away and don’t hurry up to ask others to help you. Write down what you tried but it didn’t work so you could generate alternative ideas to deal with the problem. You’ll see that it is not all that bad.

If you don’t find a solution during this period, then don’t be afraid of asking someone for help. By the way, this is another useful habit to develop. Most students don’t like to admit they can’t do something, but what you should understand here: asking for help doesn’t mean you’re a loser. It means you are ready to learn from other people rather than spend tons of time crying. Amanda Palmer’s TED talk will help you master this art.

Become a forward thinker

When I was at university, many group mates of mine had a habit of getting things done at the last second. As far as you understand, it’s not what I’m going to teach you here.

A habit of successful students is forward-thinking. It helps them take advantage of many things their peers pass by. What you need to do is structurize everyday routines in all areas of your life: college, relationships, hobbies, or even such small things like what T-shirt you are going to wear tomorrow. Create calendar reminders, download time management apps, or make sticker notes to organize your daily routine. Spend some time once a week to check what you have coming up. In other words, manage your time like a boss.

And the last but not least:

Make it a habit to take care of your health. Eat well, sleep enough, make time for physical exercise… You know what I’m trying to say: you can’t do well mentally without a healthy body. Also, try to study when in a positive mood: anxiety, stress, and (God save us all) depression are not what you need to rock in 2019.

Lesley Vos is a private educator of the French language. Lives in Chicago, crafts web content, shares writing experience with peers. In love with print books, coffee, and words. Feel free to visit @LesleyVos on Twitter to find more works of hers.