Exploring what research tells us might be small daily habits that make a difference to student wellbeing and academic success.
Over the past few months, I’ve been diving deeper into the research on student wellbeing — reflecting my role in the Wellbeing Working Group, and also as a member of the BetterU team (www.flinders.edu.au/betteru).
In practical terms that means, each week, I pick one study and use AI tools to help me unpack the key ideas. This week’s study stood out.
It was a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies — that is, studies that follow students over time to see what factors shape their wellbeing. This kind of research is powerful because it helps us identify not just what’s associated with wellbeing at one point in time, but what seems to predict it later on.
The study wasn’t perfect (no study ever is), but it offers a really helpful shortlist of the kinds of factors that consistently show up as important for student wellbeing. And because wellbeing itself is linked to things like GPA, academic progress, and student retention, these findings are also relevant to how students do at university more broadly.
I shared a summary of the paper with my colleagues on the wellbeing committee (I’m sure they were delighted by the extra reading). But as I was putting that summary together, I was thinking “Students should probably see this.”
If you’ve heard me talk about mental health before, you’ll know I’m a big believer in the power of daily practices — the small, repeatable things we do that help build, sustain, and sometimes repair our mental health.
So I asked myself: Could the key wellbeing predictors identified in the research be translated into simple daily actions? Could we distil the insights of a large body of research into a short list of doable habits?
Here’s what chatGPT came up with.
✅ 10 Daily Practices to Boost Your Wellbeing and Academic Success
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Check In + One Word
Start your day by asking, “How am I feeling today?” Write down one word.
Helps you tune in to your emotions so you can respond to how you’re really feeling. -
Name Your Why
Each morning, write one reason why your studies matter to you.
Builds motivation and reminds you why your efforts are important. -
Small Win List
At the end of the day, jot down 1–2 things you did well or learned.
Boosts confidence and helps you notice progress, even on tough days. -
Name + Reframe
When you’re stressed, name the feeling and choose a more helpful way to look at it.
Supports emotional balance and helps reduce overthinking. -
Connect Intentionally
Send a message or speak to one person (friend, classmate, etc.) each day.
Builds a sense of connection and reminds you you’re not alone. -
Today’s Study Anchor
Set one realistic study goal each day (e.g. “Read 3 pages before lunch”).
Keeps you focused and makes study tasks feel more manageable. -
Mental Health Radar
Check in with your mood, energy, and stress. Ask: do I need support today?
Encourages early action if you’re feeling low or overwhelmed. -
Reset Ritual
When something goes wrong, pause and do a short reset (breathe, stretch, walk, write).
Helps you bounce back instead of getting stuck in frustration. -
Plan Tomorrow, Tonight
Before bed, list your top 2 priorities for the next day.
Brings clarity and reduces stress about what’s coming up. -
What Helped Me Today?
Record one thing—big or small—that supported you today.
Helps you notice what’s working so you can do more of it.
It’s a bit of a leap, I’ll admit, to go from research findings to daily habit suggestions. I wouldn’t treat this list as gospel — but I would treat it as a map of meaningful territory.
These practices point to important parts of student life — emotional awareness, social connection, motivation, structure, self-care — all of which the research suggests are linked not just to feeling better, but also to doing better at uni.
To be clear, wellbeing isn’t the only predictor of academic success. It may not even be the strongest. But it is one that you can influence, in small ways, every day. And if you need assistance in the process, make sure to check out the support services directory.
If you’ve found your own practices — the little rituals, reminders, or actions that help you stay afloat — I’d love to hear them. Drop them in the comments below and let’s build a library of ideas we can all learn from.
