The work ethic of winning studentsBy Clancy Peiris

CIMA Case Study Examinations – The work ethic of winning students | 1

Build a strong work ethic.A strong work ethic is an essential part of being successful in both your career and in your studies. Work ethic is a set of values based on the ideals of discipline and hard work.

Building a strong work ethic will allow you to train yourself so that hard work is almost automatic. Forming good habits such as focusing, staying motivated, finishing tasks immediately, etc., helps create a good work ethic that will make you successful.

The core principles of work ethic and associated successes are self-discipline and self-regulation. Follow these five essential hints and tips to transform yourself into a self-disciplined learner so that you may reach your learning (and career) goals smarter and quicker.

CIMA Case Study Examinations – The work ethic of winning students | 2

Tip No. 1:

Focus on ‘why’ you do what you do. As an adult learner, you are motivated when you can see that the potential outcome will be of personal value to you. Therefore, keep reminding yourself of the purpose of your CIMA® studies. When you get distracted, the ‘why factor’ will give you the power to stay focussed on the critical task at hand.

Tip No. 2:

Control your present moment. You only have control over the present moment, and it reflects the direction and nature of your destination. To pass exams tomorrow, you need to study and prepare for your exams today. Ensure you stay on track towards your planned goal by focusing your energy on the right tasks now.

Action: Write down 10 reasons you want to complete the CIMA Qualification; paste this list in front of your study desk.

You may initially find it difficult to come up with more than a couple of reasons but stick to this task and the inspiration will flow. When you get distracted or discouraged, remind yourself ‘why’ you are doing this and it will give you the power to refocus on the critical task at hand.

Action: Make good use of your time by planning the week (say, every Sunday evening). Have a calendar (not a to-do list); allocate date, time and duration to each study session (also plot in other necessary activities).

Your calendar will help you say `no' to everything that does not support your goal (`yes' to one means `no' to many). Each productive day contributes to a productive week; a productive month is a collection of four productive weeks and so on. Having a meaningful routine blocks distractions.

Tip No. 3:

Clean up your space. Working in a clean and clear area can help improve focus and peace of mind. A dedicated specific space with fewer (if not no) distractions is ideal for efficient and focused studies. It will help you keep things organised.

Action: Shut off all push notifications on the screen; keep your mobile phone away, either silenced or switched off. Inform your family and friends of your study times so that they won’t disturb you; your priorities are not necessarily their priorities.

A change of scenery could be all it takes to get you into study mode. If not at home, office or university library is an obvious choice. If you prefer some background music while you study, instrumental music may be ideal.

CIMA Case Study Examinations – The work ethic of winning students | 3

Tip No. 4:

Procrastination is the key barrier to work ethic; address it. Procrastination is a series of avoidance behaviours and a failure to self-regulate. You choose the pleasant and lovely bits of life over the challenging and tedious; it’s entirely rational, understandable, and makes perfect sense. Experts define it as the voluntary delay of some important task that we intend to do, despite knowing that we’ll suffer as a result. However, procrastination is followed by a series of negative emotions such as guilt, doubt, inadequacy, self-loathing, etc., and results in stress and anxiety.

Tip No. 5:

Maintain consistency. If you want to boil water, you need to keep heating it until it boils; if you keep heating it in intervals, it will take more time for the water to boil, or it may never boil at all. For instance, start initially with a 30 minutes study session and increase it by five minutes every day until it reaches 50 minutes; you can do this over five days, but you need to do this consistently day after day.

Action: Use procrastination as a diagnostic tool; it usually tells us some information about ourselves. Identify what causes you to experience a gap between your intention and action. (To help this task, I have listed the main reasons for procrastination and possible tactics to address them at the end of this article.)

A perfect storm of procrastination occurs when an unpleasant task meets a person who’s high in impulsivity and low in self-discipline. There is no right time, mood, vibe, or place — start now.

Action: Differentiate between leisure and learning. Set aside time to reward yourself after completing the specified amount of studies. Go for a walk/run/swim, watch TV, listen to music or do anything that makes you relaxed and happy.

Reward yourself after your study session (and not before!) Ignore the temptation to play a video game, call a friend to catch up, browse social media for five minutes and then start studying. First, do the most important task.

CIMA Case Study Examinations – Answer planning: Does it really matter? | 4

Finally, remember that you may not reach the destination overnight, but you can change the direction of travel overnight. Productivity is about energy and focus (not time) — sprint and then rest.

Why do we usually procrastinate? What may we do about it?

Worry, fear, or belief that one does not have essential skills and ability to do a difficult or challenging task.

Face the fear, control it and get on with the work in hand. Success does not come from finishing; it comes from starting.

Perfectionism — Perfectionists fear being unable to complete a task perfectly; they put it off as long as possible.

Focus on completion over perfection. Just trying and doing it OK is better than not starting at all. Celebrate micro-moments of achievement.

Negativity, cynicism or blaming of others Claim responsibility for success, achievement, and failure; own them. Most people fail because they don’t start. Take a small step and move forward consistently.

Priority-confusion — The inability to distinguish obligations from options

Identify tasks that are important in achieving your goals. Use the 80/20 rule (the Pareto principle) whenever appropriate.

Laziness, lack of energy or motivation Remind yourself of the consequences of procrastination. Try to complete several small tasks to provide a feeling of accomplishment. Reward yourself after the task completion.

© 2021 Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. All rights reserved. CIMA and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants are trademarks of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and are registered in the United Kingdom and other countries. The design mark is a trademark owned by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and licensed to CIMA. 2105-48723

cimaglobal.comBrought to you by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the global voice of the accounting and finance profession, founded by the American Institute of CPAs and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.