New School Year, New Me!
Starting something isn’t easy. Luckily, as students, starting a new school year is usually not much of a choice so here we are. It’s the beginning of a new school year and I have 7 tried and true pieces of advice to share with you that will help you make the best of the year to come.
Make an outline of your plans and a list of goals. Step back and take a look at the next 10 months. What do you want to achieve this year? What will you do now that will help you get to where you want to go? If you plan with the end in mind then you can figure out the first steps you need to take, then the next steps, and so on. Break it down into Yearly, Monthly, Weekly goals then you’ve set yourself up to take little steps each day that will get you looking back, a year later, and realizing that you’ve succeeded in doing what you wanted to do. My tip? Don’t focus on the end as much once you’ve planned it all out. Just take those small steps, day in and day out.
Speaking of plans and goals- you need to work on your time management skills. Summer for most of us was a time to do whatever we liked with our time. Back to school, means back to routine, schedules, assignments, and deadlines. Your best friend is a schedule of your own where you not only manage your time for school work but also time for personal care, your extracurriculars, and family time. Get an agenda or a monthly calendar and write in what you are doing every day. School, homework, basketball practice, family dinner. Take 30 minutes every Sunday night and plan for the week ahead and you will that you’ve set yourself up for daily wins. You have it on the schedule, you get it done!
Keep your environments organized. Create a work corner in your home and keep it clear of distraction and disorganization. Do you have a desk? A locker? Keeping them clutter-free and organized will make your life easier and your schedule a breeze to stick to. No more looking for your lost supplies, textbooks, homework, gym clothes, etc.
Stay active! Studying already takes a lot of mental work and it is so easy to fall into a rut of all mental and no physical work. Success is doing what you need to do to get you where you need to go while being healthy and comfortable in your body when you get there. My suggestion is scheduling active time. Whether that’s joining a sports team, taking a walk, or simply taking 30 minutes every day to dance/ stretch/ follow a Youtube yoga video in your bedroom. Just do it! Don’t forget that exercise is also a great anti-stress strategy.
Ask for help. I know this one is really hard for some of us. The bottom line is no one thinks you are a fool, most people want to help you, and you owe it to yourself to ask for help otherwise you are letting yourself down. In 10 years you will look back and say, Why didn’t I ask for help? Everyone is here to lend you a hand, point the way, or at least point you to someone else who can. If you happen to fall into someone that doesn’t help you out please realize that that was a 1 in a million chance. Move on and ask the next person. Your educators your classmates your mentors. Just ask for help. You will be sweetly surprised.
Don’t be afraid to make a new friend. Your world will always expand when you expand the circle of people you know. If you’re shy, perhaps its time to join a club that interests you. There! You’ve already found a group of people you have something in common with. If you’ve always had the same group of friends, get to know someone new. You never know what you might learn about others, or about yourself.
Try something new. You are a unique multitalented (even if you don’t know it), complex human being. You have a lot of interests. Why not dig deeper into one of them? Or if there is a cause close to your heart, why not find an organization to volunteer with? Teach someone something you know, be a volunteer, look for workshops in whatever hobby interests you. There is so much to explore, make a list of all that interests you or that you care for and choose something to go and try and do.
This is your world as much as it is everyone else's and this is your year. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I hope you take my advice and make yourself proud.