10 things intentional learners do (that you should be doing, too)

You can probably think of at least one person on your course who regularly manages to work through a number of difficult assignments without fuss and has the energy to go out in the evening, guilt-free. In the past, whenever I met someone like that, I used to think of them as a being in a completely different category of human - something approaching a demigod. And as long as I thought that, it put me in the relative position of a ‘mere mortal’, which gave me the excuse to keep drifting along in my studies, swept up by currents of last-minute writing marathons, surprise deadlines, and post-exam remorse.

It took a lot of mindset work to stop seeing things in this way. But the revelation I had was actually very simple:

• There are methods for getting high marks and staying on top of your work.

• If you use them consistently, they will bring consistent results.

• This will work for anyone (methods aren’t selective - we are).

Over time, I came to define this strategy as intentional learning. It is worth noting that intentional learners - those people who seem to have it all figured out - aren’t made of fairy dust: they have good days and bad days like the rest of us. But staying focused on the big picture helps them align their actions with their intentions. This approach, which underpins my coaching, has worked for me and for my clients. And I know it has worked for many others because, whenever I talk to a successful student about their studies, they invariably mention doing one or more things on the list below.

1. Intentional learners plan ahead

Planning ahead can be tricky for many of us because we get overwhelmed and keep ‘taking it one day at a time’ instead. Unfortunately, this often leads to more overwhelm. Next weekend, try taking a look at the week that lies ahead of you. Note down all the deadlines you have to honour, and all the lessons, lectures, and seminars you have to attend. Fit in the work you must do to meet the deadlines around the lectures and seminars. There, you’ve planned ahead! The idea of seeing all this stuff, all at once, can seem uncomfortable, but actually, taking ownership of it quickly makes you feel more in control.

2. Intentional learners aren’t afraid to ask questions

Whenever you get an assignment, info about exams, or a similarly important announcement, settle any doubts about it as soon as they arise. Don’t think ‘I don’t want to be a bother’ or ‘I’ll just ask my friend afterwards’: you’re postponing something that will be more work later, because you must remember to ask, plus there’s always a chance you’ll get misinformed by a classmate who misunderstood the info. Intentional learners know that’s a waste of time, and they value their time too much. So they raise their hand and ask for a clarification ASAP. (And often, the rest of the group are wondering about the same thing and say thanks. It’s happened to me more than once.)

3. Intentional learners love their free time

Some people think that successful students are successful because they’re always working. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Intentional learners make sure they put in the hours of study they’d planned to do, so their rest is (1) well-deserved and (2) complete. They aren’t bothered by pangs of conscience because they’re partying without having worked; they know they’ve done what they can and are able to relax fully and enjoy themselves absolutely.

4. Intentional learners single-task

If I had to whittle down this list to just one point, this would be it. Because intentional learners are masters at time-blocking, they don’t do anything half-way, like trying to study for a test while texting their friends, or reading a research article while keeping one eye on their social media feed. While they’re studying, their phone is not in the picture. At all. I’ve known students whose lives turned around completely once they’d started surrendering their phones to a flatmate for study sessions. It takes courage, but it’s a game-changer.

5. Intentional learners do the worst thing first

Productivity expert Brian Tracy calls it ‘swallowing the frog’. You do the thing you dread (your most boring and/or difficult task of the day) first, thereby freeing up mental bandwidth for everything else: the dreaded task is no longer hanging over you, souring your mood and distracting you from the tasks you could otherwise be enjoying. Through practice, intentional learners have developed the stamina to face the ‘frog’ head-on - not because they like it, but because they’re prepared to suffer a bit and have a great day after.

6. Intentional learners don’t take feedback personally

As a teacher, I had a secret theory that the ability to act on feedback was directly related to intelligence. The truth is, lots of us are too vain to see feedback for what it is (someone’s kind-hearted attempt to help us). Others are too lazy to appreciate its potential to improve our work. Having been guilty of both in my student days, I can’t help but admire young people who listen to feedback attentively and act on it conscientiously, keeping their egos out of the equation. These young people usually start producing higher-quality work very quickly.

7. Intentional learners stick to a schedule.

This doesn’t mean they do the same thing every day, but they stay on track by deciding in advance when they are going to do things (see point 1), then sticking to that plan. If you have an assignment due in on Friday, and you know it will take approximately three hours to complete, schedule in an hour on Wednesday and two hours on Thursday. It’s much harder to slack off on a Wednesday afternoon when you know exactly what you are meant to be doing with that time, instead of just having the vague idea you are supposed to be ‘working’.

8. Intentional learners keep the end destination in mind

Intentional learning is big-picture learning: you stay motivated through continuously reminding yourself where you want to get to. This is different from setting a goal, such as ‘I want to get at least 65% in this paper’. It is a vision of your future self that you are prepared to work for. When I was an undergraduate competing for a year-abroad placement, I desperately wanted to go to Madrid; so did lots of other people, so we were told we’d be selected on the basis of academic performance. To stay motivated, I bought myself a swanky guide to Madrid’s coolest boutiques and restaurants and kept it at the centre of my desk: whenever I felt like giving an assignment anything less than 100%, the guide would quickly remind me that someone else would be going to Madrid then. It worked (I couldn’t afford most of the swanky restaurants, but I found other cool things to do).

9. Intentional learners take stock of their progress

There is a difference between staying positive and being in denial. Intentional learners are honest with themselves when a study strategy isn’t working, or when they aren’t giving a project their best self. They know this is the first step to change when change is necessary. On the flip side, they can take credit where credit is due - and, most importantly, they can reproduce their success because they have reflected on what has worked for them.

10. Intentional learners are gentle on themselves when things don’t work out

Remember, they are playing the long game. They get things wrong, fail to meet their own expectations, make all kinds of mistakes, and face the consequences. But their long-term approach gives intentional learners a sense of perspective. They may do badly in a particular module, or even most modules in a particular semester; that’s still just one step on a much longer road, and the journey continues.

Anyone can follow these steps. Remember to start small, and if you need help, get in touch to hop on a disco call, or keep an eye out for upcoming YOUNG&Able events and masterclasses. You’ve got this!