7 Habits Every IAS Aspirant Should Have.

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” JC.Maxwell

Our success or our failure is truly the reflection of the good or bad habits we do incorporate into our lives. We always wonder why few people are successful and the majority among us are wavering in one way or another, there is only one reason; habits. Every year hundreds of thousands of aspirants join UPSC preparation and very few among them qualify, here again, the common reason for failure is that the majority of aspirants didn't cultivate the habits that successful IAS aspirants do cultivate. Below are the seven best habits that every IAS aspirant should follow to crack this examination.

                                                    Discipline

Self-discipline is the most important habit of every serious IAS aspirant. If you discipline your UPSC journey, I guarantee you that half of your success is already achieved. With discipline comes responsibility and one enjoys the UPSC systematically and progressively. Self-discipline removes the randomness in study patterns and creates a longer and finer impression on one's brain, as a result, one finds less stress and more productivity.

Dedication

Success doesn't come overnight one has to burn the midnight's oil, for several months with greater dedication and determination to reach the horizon of success. Being dedicated to their goal is one of the most important and powerful habits of every successful IAS aspirant. Dedication towards IAS will naturally cultivate a sense of duty, perseverance, patience, devotion, faith, passion, and belief within you. There are the required ingredients that every successful UPSC aspirant puts in labour to get the best dividend in the form of success.

                                                        Time Management

Using time judiciously and in a logical, cyclical, and productive manner is what differentiates the UPSC topper from that an unsuccessful IAS aspirant. Better time management keeps one away from stress and anxiety and makes the whole preparation process quite interesting and enjoyable. One has to manage the time the way it suits you, suppose you are an employee and preparing for UPSC, you have to manage your time according to your flexibility.

                                                           Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy body is essential to nourish a healthy brain; doing exercise, meditation, or practising yoga helps in developing the stamina to stay in momentum. Eating well-balanced diets, avoiding smoking or alcohol, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are what successful aspirants always prefer. Not only physical health but also mental and spiritual health is also important and every serious aspirant maintains a balance of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Staying away from all the habits that affect health is what successful aspirants preach and follow.

                                                            Smart Study 

Considering the vast size and magnitude of the UPSC syllabus, one gets confused about what to study and how to manage it all. There comes the smart study and every serious aspirant follows certain thumb rules, like limiting the study material, making self-notes, reading everything by just considering the syllabus, decoding what UPSC wants from you, etc. Planning and strategy with proper research on everything related to the exam are what differentiate you from others and give you an edge and a plus point in getting the moksha or so-called nirvana.

                                                           Practising

Practising makes one closer to success; the more you practice the more you virtually acquaint your brain with the actual situation. Gaining a lot of knowledge won't be much help unless and until the knowledge is set to practice. Joining mock test series for both prelims and mains is the quintessential part of UPSC preparation. No serious aspirant misses the mock tests. Practising the answer writing will improve your chances of getting qualified. UPSC preparation is incomplete without analyzing the previous year's question papers of both prelims and mains. They will give you the complete figure of the actual exam patterns and trends.

                                                        No To Distractions

Social media is the biggest challenge in the present scenario that causes a huge distraction, so avoiding social media or limiting its use in specific periods is the sagacious thing, which every aspirant needs to follow strictly. Sometimes the phone is itself a distracting element, so it is better to switch it off during peak study hours. Sometimes the home or room is also a distraction and one is unable to focus more on studies there, therefore it is better to join any nearest library. A serious IAS aspirant always keeps the distracting factors at arm's length, be it friends, non-serious fellow aspirants, or anything else that has distracting potential.

To conclude, good habits make your way easy and enjoyable to reach the zenith of success. While keeping randomness in your schedule will lead you nowhere. As UPSC is the toughest competition and cracking it needs all the above-discussed habits plus grit, dedication, determination, diligence, and religious devotion towards your goal. Wish you all the best.