school starts for me in a little over a week so i thought i’d make a quick back to school masterpost! this is a compilation of tips that i found helpful from youtube study channels, as well as things that i’ve personally done to make school easier.
do your best work as soon as school starts
usually the first week(s) of school have a relatively light homework load, but don’t slack off!
this is the time to put in the most effort
you’ll be able to see which subjects you want to spend more or less time on throughout the semester
also, if you turn in great work, participate in class, and go to office hours right from the start, you’re going to keep up those good habits as the school year continues
plus, you’ll leave a fantastic impression on your teachers :)
cliché? yes, but it works
planners are a great tool to organize so many different aspects of your life, not just school
write down your assignments as soon as you get them so that you won’t forget anything, and so that you can plan your day/week accordingly
try to space out your assignments if you can so that you don’t spend all of your time on just one subject
describe your tasks. instead of saying “study chemistry” (which will turn into binge-watching youtube), say “practice balancing chemical equations”
planners are also great for setting and keeping track of goals!
BUT, if planners don’t work for you, use some other way to keep track of your tasks and your time - to do lists, schedules, checklists, bullet journals, etc. choose what works for you!
just make sure that you keep all of your tasks in one place.
break down larger tasks, such as projects or papers, throughout the week
do a little every day instead of cramming all the work into one night
bonus: try to get your assignments reviewed by someone like a teacher or a classmate before turning them in - most teachers are happy to look at drafts and give suggestions that will improve your work and your grade!
also, for big projects, my procrastinating brain has found it helpful to ‘reset the deadlines’ - work so that you’ll finish your bigger assignments a few days before they’re actually due
a big part of breaking down tasks and planning is also knowing your own study habits
try to figure out how long you spend on certain types of assignments, and know how much time you should allocate to specific tasks
when you have a choice, go for meaningful
for some assignments, such as essays where you can choose your own prompt, it’s easy to choose the easy prompt
but whenever you can, try to go for the prompt that will help you to deepen your understanding of the material you’ve learned
teachers who reuse prompts will probably see a lot of the “same” essays every year, so this is a way to stand out in a positive way!
or at least try to clean up your study space for the school year
having a neat space to work can really go a long way
throw out those old pens that have run out of ink and are honestly just there to look pretty
also: invest in good lighting because you gotta take care of those beautiful eyes
find classmates who can be your study buddies
if you know who the “top students” in your class are, seek out their help! get contact info!
if you miss classes or have concepts that you’re having trouble with, you’ll always have someone to ask
i mean you should always feel comfortable with asking your teacher for help, but it’s nice to have someone to quickly proofread your paper or review for a test with
peer tutors are also a great resource!
take the time to establish new habits
maybe come up with a morning/afternoon/night routine so that you know you’ll spend some time every day being productive
and don’t let yourself off the hook here!!
some ideas for habits: hydrating properly every day, working out, getting enough sleep every night, avoiding procrastination, journaling, focusing on one thing at a time / not multitasking, going to office hours consistently, participating in class
be honest with yourself. what are some things you do every day that you might not need to do every day? and what are some things you hope you can add to your daily routine?
speaking of habits, fix that sleep schedule asap
if you want to pay attention in class and turn in good work, you’re going to need enough sleep
i would recommend sleeping early and waking up early over sleeping late - it just feels less awful throughout the day and it shouldn’t do as much damage to your sleep schedule as one all nighter will
get yo priorities straight
learn to say “no” to things that will take up your time but won’t really benefit you
recognize that not everything is important
that being said! take breaks!!
burnout is real my friends
a lot of people say that you should use your downtime to work, and you definitely can if you want to and feel able to
it’s so easy to feel like you have to be studying or working 24/7, and that’s not true
if you feel like you really need a break, take a break
spend time with your family and friends! treat yourself with some ice cream! go for a walk (without your phone)! call someone who lives far away from you to say you miss them!
being productive is great, and even if you’re the kind of person that can handle that much work without burning out, that stress will release itself elsewhere - some harsh words you didn’t mean, some small thing that annoyed you more than it should have
ok that was a lot crammed into one post, but i have one more important point: be excited for school!!! it may be stressful at times (most of the time) but school is a place where we learn things and better ourselves and open our minds to new perspectives! i am personally so psyched for 10th grade and i think having that attitude will make back to school a lot easier :)
i hope some of these tips help you, and as usual feel free to drop me an ask about anything! i’ll be writing more of these “quick tip”-type masterposts for back to school because they’re a looot less time consuming for me to make (being honest here). let me know what you think of this format! and if you have any requests for masterpost topics i’m always open to those.
