Writers 
-8 Reasons You’re Still Struggling-
PART ONE
In our previous article, “How to Lock In as a Nigerian Student,” we talked about getting serious with your studies, cutting out distractions, managing your time, and actually putting in the work.
But let’s be honest.
What if you actually did all of that and you’re still not getting it?
You attend classes. You do your assignments. You sit down to study. You try to stay away from distractions and focus on your books. You might even be studying for hours every day.
Yet somehow, when the teacher explains something, you're still confused. When you take a test, you suddenly realize you can't remember half of what you studied.
At that point, you might start thinking:
“Maybe I'm just not smart enough.”
But that isn't necessarily true.
Sometimes, the problem isn't that you're not trying hard enough. You might be putting in the effort, but something else is getting in the way.
Here are eight possible reasons why you can be genuinely serious about school and still struggle.
1. You're Studying, But You're Not Studying Effectively
There is a big difference between studying and studying effectively.
You can spend three hours reading your notes and still remember very little afterwards.
Maybe you read the same page five times. Maybe you highlight almost every sentence. Maybe you copy your notes neatly from one book to another. It feels like you're studying, but that doesn't always mean you're actually understanding or remembering the information.
For example, if you're studying Mathematics, simply reading through solved examples won't necessarily prepare you for an exam. You need to actually try solving questions yourself.
Instead of only reading, close your book and ask yourself:
“What did I just learn?”
Try explaining the topic in your own words. Solve practice questions. Test yourself without looking at your notes. Pay attention to the things you couldn't remember and go back to them.
The goal isn't to spend the most hours studying.
The goal is to make the hours you spend count.
Solution: Change How You Study
Instead of asking, “How many hours did I study today?”, ask:
"What did I actually understand today?”
Use things like practice questions, active recall, teaching the topic to yourself, and revising what you've learned over several days.
Sometimes, you don't need to study harder.
You need to study smarter.
2. Your Foundation Has Gaps
Imagine trying to build a house when part of the foundation is missing.
You can keep adding more blocks, but eventually, the problem with the foundation is going to catch up with you.
The same thing can happen with schoolwork.
Sometimes, you're struggling with a topic because you don't fully understand something you're supposed to have learned earlier.
For example, you might struggle with a Mathematics topic because you never completely understood an older concept. Now the new topic depends on that old concept, so everything starts looking confusing.
And because you don't know exactly where the problem started, you might keep studying the new topic repeatedly without making much progress.
This doesn't mean you're unintelligent.
It simply means there's a missing piece.
Solution: Go Back Before Moving Forward
If a topic isn't making sense, don't be afraid to go back.
Ask yourself:
“What do I need to understand before this topic will make sense?”
Find the older topic you're struggling with and work on that first. Ask your teacher or a classmate for help. Look for simpler explanations and practise the basics until they become comfortable.
You don't have to be ashamed of going back.
Sometimes, moving forward means going back and fixing what you missed.
3. You're Trying to Learn Everything at Once
Sometimes, being serious about school can actually make you put too much pressure on yourself.
You have Mathematics. English. Biology. Chemistry. Physics. Government. Assignments. Tests. Notes to copy. Maybe an exam is coming up too.
So you decide:
“I'm going to finish everything today.”
And before you know it, you're sitting in front of five different textbooks, jumping from one subject to another and trying to remember everything at once.
That can leave you overwhelmed instead of productive.
Solution: Break It Down
You don't have to conquer every subject in one sitting.
Pick a few specific things to work on and give each one your full attention.
Instead of saying:
“I'm going to study Chemistry.”
Say:
“I'm going to understand this one topic and answer ten practice questions.”
Small, clear goals are much easier to handle than trying to swallow the entire syllabus at once.
You don't have to finish everything today. You just have to make progress.
4. You're Memorising Without Understanding
There's a difference between knowing an answer and understanding why the answer is correct.
You might memorise a definition today and forget it tomorrow.
You might memorise the steps to solve one question, but then become confused when the teacher changes the question slightly.
This usually happens when you're focusing more on remembering information than understanding it.
Solution: Ask “Why?”
Don't just ask, “What is the answer?”
Ask:
Why is this the answer?
How did we get here?
What would happen if the question changed?
Can I explain this without looking at my notes?
When you understand
something, you're less dependent on memorising it word for word.
Don't just memorise the information. Try to understand the idea behind it.
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More Is Coming...
And these are only the first four.
There are four more reasons why you can be genuinely serious about school and still feel like you're getting nowhere.
Sometimes it's your study method. Sometimes it's your foundation. And sometimes, the problem has nothing to do with your books at all.
We'll get into those in Part 2.
So if you've ever thought, “But I'm actually trying, so why am I still struggling?” — stick around.
You might finally find your answers.
