It’s been a month since our school year has begun, and most of us are still in that summer mode. You know, that relaxed mindset of doing nothing all day and starting your hw at 11 pm. To help get you out of that mini-funk, here are some top tips on having a successful start to the school year!
1. Stay Organized:
As we get deeper into the school year, teachers are starting to hand out more assignments as well as tests. It’s important to keep track of and plan out when to do them. After all, the hardest part about an assignment is actually starting it. Apps like My Study Life can actually alert you to when you should start your assignment, when it’s due, and even when your class is! Staying organized should be smooth sailing with this app. And if you prefer writing, use a planner and make lists. It’s a well known fact that writing down tasks and checking them off motivates people to get more done!
2. Prioritize Your Time:
Friends are wonderful, friends are great, but friends can wait until the weekend (or not). It’s important to make sure that you don’t give up valuable friend time for hw and vice versa. It’s vital to figure out if you are more of a weekend homework person or a weeknight homework person, and then start cementing it as a habit as soon as possible. That way you can simultaneously enjoy life, while also completing your responsibilities. Because when you choose to ignore your responsibilities in order to have fun, you don’t truly have fun. There’s always that nagging feeling of stress building up every time. Prioritizing your time should help you breeze through your school life.
3. Make Time for You:
Self-care is extremely important. Sometimes we get so caught up in the struggles of life, we forget about ourselves. Set aside some time during the week to just relax and work on yourself. Take a bath, walk around a park, do some yoga. Or maybe even try meditating with apps like Headspace and Calm. Spending some time focusing on yourself will not only make you feel better, but it may also lead to greater self awareness.
4. Be Nice to Your Teachers:
This is advice that people often hear but don’t heed. Teachers are there to help you, not ensure your failure. Sometimes you won’t always have the best one, but it’s vital that you think positively and try to learn from them. And remember, asking questions in class or after school not only helps you, but also shows the teacher that you care about school, which might just make a difference when they’re trying to decide whether to bump up that B+ to an A!
Starting school after two months of pure unadulterated free time is difficult, but these tips will hopefully make it much easier. Just remember to keep your head high and try your best to survive. Good Luck!
The Ida B. Wells HS Magazine 