"K-POP isn't the reason why I'm not succeeding in my studies." Distractions and study habits.

By Jeeah H.

I've always considered myself as a straight 'A' student and in turn, prided in my good grades. No, seriously. 

Woots! Results for my Psychology EOY exam last year 

So, why have I decided to write this? Have my grades been not up to par lately? I suppose. But I don’t blame K-POP.  So why write this and title it hence? Many people, or particularly only K-POP fans, would find the title confronting and would not read this, ignore it and be in denial. Lots of students claim that before they discovered the magical world that is K-POP, they were brilliant students who never had to fear showing their moms their report cards. Thus, blaming their demise in grades and good study habits on K-POP. Parents and teachers will try and utilize K-POP as an excuse for your deteriorating academic performances as well.

Here are my thoughts on this: K-POP may have been a catalyst but I firmly believe that it is NOT the sole problem.

The problem is insufficient time management and the fear of failing. 

1. Everybody is afraid of failing whether it’d be an exam, competition, interview or audition. Hence, youths such as me, myself and other fangirls/boys feed upon K-POP as a distraction preventing us to confront that Sociology paper on Monday or the inter-class History quiz. People are afraid of trying their best and still failing rather so they choose to try half heartedly and fail and then blame on the fact that they didn't try. 

How to overcome this:

• Set A Goal: It’s impossible to start when you don’t know where you end. Imagine composing a story, you tend to be able to create endings automatically in your head but just can’t seem to make a beginning, right? However, knowing the end to your story drives you to think of what to make of the content and introductory paragraphs. So once you’ve set your goals, you’ll be more driven to work your ass to achieve it even if it means failing and having to rise from a million excruciating falls.

2. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ” - Taken from the movie Coach Carter (2005)

Having read that, time management seems to also be a crucial challenge for many people. You are in control of how much K-POP media you consume. No one is forcing you to watch a whole 16 episode drama in one night. No one is going to hunt you down because you haven’t seen MBLAQ’s latest MV. I like to think of K-POP as sleep. The more K-POP media you consume, the harder it is to reduce; just like when you sleep longer and wake up late on weekends, it’s difficult to sleep early on that very night and wake up early on Monday morning. 

You can overcome this by:

•  Setting time limits on the computer/laptop when you’re consuming K-POP media. For example, two hours of reading and only an hour spent on allkpop, dailykpopnews and Tumblr altogether, for every minute spent more, five extra minutes are added to study-time.
•  Prioritising! Complete your homework and revise. Once finished, only then K-POP can be used as a reward or stress-reliever, whatever the form may be... Tumblr, Youtube, Dailymotion. You will definitely feel much better and not guilty about putting off work!
• Think positively! Repeating this point because I feel the need to. Don’t be afraid to fail. You think that if we’re afraid to fail, we’ll try harder? Reverse psychology? Heck, no! In reality, it doesn’t work that way. Start tasks as early as possible, do less homework over more nights rather than a lot of homework in one night. Bit by bit. I’m sure no teachers out there are cruel enough to make due dates in the next twenty-four hours after the assignment is given. Or maybe not. I hope not. So, just do everything in baby steps. (Example) Start on your Literature paper tonight, Biology tomorrow, French and Economics the day after. This way you can have more time for your rewards! More work done, more rewards, more K-POP, less time wasted.
• ‘Realists do not fear the results of their study’. If you know you didn’t study enough the week before a test and then panic and stress out, you’re not going to be expecting spectacular results. Believe me. I’ve been in that position. Put in as much effort to get the results that you want. Make sure the amount of effort adds up to what your goal is!
• Set deadlines and finish these projects by the set deadline.

K-POP is not your life. It is an interest. You have far more important things in life such as your studies, friends, family, work, dreams and goals. Balancing your time with studies and interests would result in guilt-free K-POP spazzing over a newly released MV and grades that you are proud of.  

Simply balance your time equally with your studies and what you enjoy. You don’t have to give up your interests completely, but you have to know your limits. Have some self-control and self-respect.


Good luck! 

Additional: To enlighten you all, below are some images of idols who have graduated with honours. These people would have an even more difficult time managing their time as not only do they have school but they have their careers as well which demands for them to be working full-time every time. So get inspired and hit the books.

SHINee's Choi Minho

SNSD's Seohyun

U-Kiss's Dongho

Posted in: Study Tips,Tips