School is tough. I get it. Sometimes you just want to curl up into a ball and never go outside again. This post contains advice peope have given me over the years as well as stuffed I’ve picked up on my own, regarding how to do well in highschool/college etc. All of the tips below are things I have personally done to help make my studies easier. I hope they help you.
I mean everything. Of course you should write down due dates, but also put in any meetings you have to go to, events at your school, even things having to do with your social life. I use one calender for everything so that when I’m planning activities I know how much homework I have to do on any one day and can plan around that.
This goes with what I just said, don’t only write down the date that a paper is due, decide when you’ll start doing research for it, when you’ll make the outline, when you want to have draft 1 done, etc. Do this for anything that takes longer than a day to complete. Doing this will hopefully help reduce stress and make your workload more manageable.
Everyday make a list of all the homework you have to finish that day and then start checking things off as you complete them. The amount of satisfaction I get from checking everything off my to-do list is unbelievable. Also be specifc with your lists. Instead of writing “study for french test,” write “review vocab,” “study notes,” “practice writing portion” etc. You will feel more accomplished being able to check off all of these smaller tasks as you do them.
Prep your things the night before:
There is nothing worse than arriving at school and realizing you left the assignment you were supposed to turn in that day at home. To avoid this pack your backpack the night before with any books/homework/whatever that you need to bring to school the next day. You can lay out your outfit for the next day as well to save time getting ready in the morning.
Give yourself time to breathe:
Everyone has their limits, don’t overfill your schedule to the point where you have no time for yourself. Make sure to block out time each week to do something that you want to do, whether it’s reading, watching netflix, or hanging out with friends. Remember your mental health is more important than your studies. Always put yourself first.
Go to your professors if you don’t understand an assignment, have questions about your grade, are having trouble in their class, or for anything else you can think of. The vast majority of teachers want to see their students suceed and will be happy to help you with anything you need.
Now when I say this I don’t mean that you have to have amazing grades in your class or study ad nausium. What I mean is make an effort to show up to class, try to participate when possible, turn in assignments on time etc. Basically show the teacher that you are activialy engaging in the learning process. What I’ve learned is that teachers are much more likely to “bend the rules” for students that show they are really attempting to do their best.
Not everything has to be perfect:
It is much better to turn in a badly done assignment than to not turn anything in at all. Trust me. Sometimes you have to settle for turning in something that is not your best work.
Everyone likes to study in different environments, some people prefer being alone in their room, others like to study in coffee shops, the point is figure out what kind of environment you need to be in, in order to succesfully study. Ask yourself what kinds of distractions you need to eliminate before you study. Make a routine of going to your study space(s) and studying for a certain amount of time. This will help you get into the habit of studying.
Take advantage of your school’s resources:
If your school offers tutoring services, special study sessions, etc. use them. Many times these resources are included in the cost of tuition, so since you already paid for them, why not use them.
Ok that’s it for this post. There were definately more things I remembered that I was not able to include because then this post would have been too long, but if you would like to see a part 2 let me know. Good luck in all your future studies!
