Studying more doesn’t get you better grades.

Yes. It can help but it’s not that simple. Studying more can get you better grades. It’s just not a guarantee. If you study the wrong stuff then you might not improve your grades. If you stress yourself out then you could be hurting your grades.

Do you wish you studied more?

Most people spend their entire school career wishing they studied more. They never actually follow through with it. They just keep living their life in their same old routines with those “plans” to change. They never actually change it.

I’m going to tell you something that’s going to sound crazy:

“Not studying” more is sometimes the most reliable way to improve your grades.

It’s more reliable than studying more for a few reasons:

•  Studying more sucks. No one wants to do it. That means almost no one does it.
•  You only have so much time. This time has to come from something else.
•  You’re already using up all the motivation you have.
•  It’s stressful to do or even just think about.
•  Even if you do go crazy and study more, you’ll probably never score high enough to be happy.

Studying more just doesn’t work. If it does work then it risks doing more harm than good.

Imagine you could get the same grades as you’re getting now while studying less than half the time you usually study. This is the reality for students we work with at this site. Every day more students are getting better grades while studying less.

If you want instant access to some of the most important strategies then be sure you join to access our free members only area. You should probably check out what the greatest study hack is…

These are three strange strategies that might surprise you.

1. Don’t Read Your Textbook

Reading your textbook is one of the least effective ways to learn. Given the choice between repeatedly dropping your textbook on your foot or reading your textbook, I’d pick dropping your textbook on your foot. At least you’re not fooling yourself into thinking you’re learning something.

Rereading it multiple times is even worse. It gets you familiar with the material without sticking it in your memory. When it comes test time you’ll think, “I know this… Oh…. What was that….” until twenty minutes pass and you still can’t figure it out. Rereading doesn’t help you memorize stuff but it makes you think you did.

If you’re going to do anything then just focus on taking a good set of notes from it. Limit the reading to the minimum.

Textbooks are horrible for reading. They are good for referencing. They can be good for prepping for some tests in some classes. (In those cases, the most important sections to read are the summary and the key points.)

I know you have assigned reading. I’m not going to say to not do it but pay attention to whether or not you get tested on that information. Most teachers assign reading without testing to it. (This is less true the later you get in your schooling.)

2. Skip Classwork (Well… some)

Some classwork wastes time. Don’t do that classwork.

If homework takes you a long time but doesn’t have a major impact on your grade then you shouldn’t do it. You’ll often see this in classes with tons of homework assignments. If the syllabus says that homework is worth 10% of your grade but you’re still getting homework every night, you shouldn’t stress about doing all of it.

A big part of getting good grades without studying more is learning the difference between valuable work and pointless work.

When you stop stressing over the pointless work, you have more energy and time to spend on the work that actually matters.

Often classes have single assignments worth a fifth or more of your grade. Crush those assignments. Skip the pointless ones. Your grades and stress levels will thank you for it.

3. Be An Oddball

You might be too boring to get top notch grades.

I know… this probably sounds crazy but it’s true.

A big part of your final grade is going to be subjective. It’s going to be up to the teacher’s whims. If your teacher likes you then they’ll give you a better grade. There are a few important points to note:

•  This isn’t intentional so, of course, they’ll deny it.
•  Most of this process is automatic for people.
•  Sucking up doesn’t make you likable. People don’t like suck ups.

Here’s something crazy: it’s often safer to risk being disliked than to not be noticed.

Students that the teacher doesn’t think about don’t get a grade boost. They’re run-of-the-mill students. The teacher has taught hundreds of them in their career.

Typically likable students get a grade boost. Teachers feel good when they see the student’s paper. That means they grade it better.

Of course, if you’re too likable, like a child of the teacher, or a suck up, the teacher will control for their optimistic feelings about you. They want to grade fairly. The key is to be just likable enough.

And… if the teacher doesn’t like you, you might be worried you will see a low grade. This is less common than you might think. Teachers want to grade fairly. They control for the seriously negative more than they control for the slightly negative. This, of course, doesn’t mean you should provoke being disliked.

A big part of being likable is being noticed by the teacher.

Most good students aren’t likable because they’re too “good.” They don’t talk. They don’t bring attention to themselves. The teacher barely even knows their name by the end of the semester. You can’t be liked if you don’t get noticed.

How can you get noticed?

•  Ask questions (good ones preferably)
•  Ask for favors
•  Thank your teacher for stuff
•  Be friendly
•  Actually look like you care during class!

(This last one is completely unappreciated by most students. Teachers like to feel like they’re making a difference (even bad ones.) Paying attention helps them feel that way. They see you watching with that interested look on your face and they think “I’m doing good.” That makes them feel good while looking at you. That’s how you get likable fast. They’re doing you a favor even if you’re doing them a favor.)

You don’t need to study more to get better grades. Some of the best ways to get straight A’s probably require less studying than you do right now. It just needs you to change your perspective and strategies.

Have you ever wondered if an A is really worth the effort?

In the members only area I go over a little bit of evidence that makes the answer pretty clear. Make sure to check it out:

Is an A Really Worth The Effort?

How much time have you wasted studying just to be disappointed with your grades?

Are you really willing to waste another day scoring grades you’re embarrassed about?

Make the commitment to learning the better way.

Do you have any strategies you use to study better without studying more? Please share them in the comments below.

Please share this post because it can help you and others get better grades. Those better grades can help you live better.

How would you feel if you could study in less than 15 minutes a night while still scoring A’s? 

You can discover the newest secrets of the science of studying by joining us today.