Three Bad Habits IAS Aspirants Should Avoid

The UPSC civil services exam is one of the toughest competitive exams in the country. Clearing it requires people to be of a different mould as it paves the way for a career in the prestigious civil services of India. Even though the UPSC exam is demanding, it is not unassailable. A planned approach with the right guidance will help aspirants deal with the IAS exam preparation. However, the exam also requires aspirants to have a dedicated and sincere devotion to the civil services exam preparation. It involves inculcating some good habits and shedding a few bad ones. This article talks about three bad habits to avoid for UPSC aspirants.

Aspirants would find this topic very helpful in the IAS Exam.

Bad Habit #1: Being a net junkie

There is no doubt that the Internet has become an inescapable part our lives. In fact, every aspect of life has been revolutionised by the Internet and even UPSC exam preparation has undergone a sea change because of this piece of technology. Today, ‘looking up the net’ is the go-to solution to almost all of life’s muddles. Undoubtedly, the internet offers a plethora of information for the IAS exam and aspirants have been tremendously benefitted by it. But then, you don’t want to be addicted to the net. Use the net for its advantages and resources. Use it for the exam notes and educational videos. But avoid it for unnecessary surfing and chatting. You needn’t totally be off social media as you can learn a lot of things from them. But you don’t have to like every post that is thrown at you! Use the internet wisely but avoid being a net junkie.

Bad Habit #2: Hankering for too many books

A lot of aspirants go on a buying spree for books for the IAS exam. In their search for the perfect resource, they end up acquiring a heap of books and no realistic plan to read all of them. This can be a waste of time and money. It is suggested that you don’t frequently change books and study from multiple sources. It can be confusing and break your flow. You can go over a few books before you commence your preparation and then decide on one or two sources for the same subject. In addition, most books contain more or less the same content. There could be an addition of about 5% extra content. But the Return on Investment on reading more number of books just for that 5% is too low to be considered.

The prudent thing to do here is to get hold of a few good books and try to finish all of them. Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” In a similar vein, it can be said that your UPSC exam preparation will be more effective and complete if you read one book 10 times rather than 10 different books just once.

Get a list of the most recommended books for UPSC CSE preparation here.

Bad Habit #3: Not getting adequate sleep

A lot of candidates think that since hard work is necessary for clearing the IAS exam, it is important to indulge only in studies and sleep and play as little as possible. This is not a healthy thing to do. Many candidates try to pull all-nighters in an attempt to complete that one subject or topic. This will do more harm than good. A human being requires at least 7 hours of sleep per day. If you don’t get this requisite dosage of shut-eye on a regular basis, you will not be able to sustain your preparation for long. Take care of your health by sleeping for adequate number of hours. Depriving yourself of sufficient sleep will not help you clear the IAS exam.

Candidates should go through the links provided below for the UPSC exam even better-

Also Read | Importance of good health for cracking UPSC civil services exam preparation

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2021.

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