That's why you should always go to bed each night and wake up each morning at the same times—even on the weekend. Also, ensure that your dorm room is cool and dark when it's time for bed. And if you still don't believe that prioritizing your sleep is all that necessary, be sure to watch the following video (and share it with your friends). You'll learn why sleep may be your ultimate superpower.

So use a daily and monthly planner (paper or digital) and schedule all of the activities you need and want to get done. It will set you apart from most other students. Every activity in your college life should be accounted for, hour by hour. That includes class time, study time, social activities, work, eating, sleeping, and anything else you do.

Get everything out of your head and into a planner or calendar. Then, follow your plan, revising as it necessary (but as little as possible). It's a simple, common-sense hack that's too often overlooked. (The alternative—"winging it"—can result in procrastination, late nights, wasted time, stress, anxiety, and missed deadlines and opportunities.)

Also, many professors develop a positive bias toward students who sit up front. So if you're one of those students, you may be given slightly higher grades when your professors are deciding between, for example, giving you a B+ or an A- on papers or exams.

It's easy to find practice tests online on a wide variety of topics. Many colleges and universities make them available on their websites. Simply type "site:.edu" into a Google search, followed by the topic you're learning, followed by the word "exam." The more practice tests you take, the more knowledge you'll retain—as long as you always make an effort to learn why you answer certain questions incorrectly.

You can also use flashcards, which are convenient and just as effective. They enable you to practice retrieving the information you've studied and, bit by bit, master the material. You can even take them with you wherever you go, whether you're out on long walks or waiting in line somewhere. The key is to shuffle the deck frequently and keep the cards you've mastered in the deck until you've correctly retrieved their information at least three times. You can even use an app like Quizlet to make your own flashcards or use the cards of other users.

Even for short-term results, cramming is generally less effective than beginning your studies as early as possible and studying at regular, spread out intervals over longer amounts of time. And for long-term retention of what you're studying, spaced learning is far and away the better option.¹ Combined with taking practice tests, this strategy can be incredibly effective. And it allows you to schedule short bursts of study time as opposed to lengthy all-nighters that are best avoided.