By Bryce Romig
When spring rolls around and the weather gets warmer, motivation for school and work tend to decrease. With all of the fun activities that go on during spring and summer, it can be easy to start slacking school and becoming lazier. Never fear. These tips will help boost your motivation towards school and pull through the final days of school.
Step 1: Set Goals
As you should with anything else, setting goals is essential to succeeding in school. Goals let you see your ideas and dreams written down on paper, allowing you too construct a way to reach them.
Create a dream board and write all of your dreams and goals down on a poster board. Then, assess all of your goals and write ways you can or will accomplish them. Strategic visual plans are essential to obtaining a goal as they allow your mind to make a visual connection that you will be able to remember.
Step 2: Stay Organized
Staying organized is essential in all aspects of life. A messy room tends to mean a messy mind. Try organizing all of your school work by utilizing tools provided to you by the school. Write down all assignments and projects due for that week in your student planner.
“I write down a checklist that might help kids stay on track,” said counselor Jessica Newkirk.
Read the schedule for each class on the board daily to make sure no changes were made. Strive to keep your locker as clean as possible. Place all books on one shelf and binders on another and vice versa.
“I make a daily list of the things that MUST be completed that day and things that I can begin if I would like to, or have time to,” said junior Emma Poff.
Step 3: Strive to be stress free
Achieving a stress free life seems impossible, but if you find ways to relax and wind down, being stress free can be attainable. Many students get anxiety from upcoming projects, test grades, and homework.
“When I’m stressed I always tell my self to take it one thing at a time even for a big event. It is still going to be stressful but that’s life but once you breathe and realize you will get through it then you won’t be as stressed,” said senior Abby Marguet.
While it is healthy to be stressed somewhat, make sure you aren’t over stressing. If you receive a bad grade, accept it and realize you must study harder to achieve a better grade. Don’t let it impact your life too much, unless it starts to become a regular thing.
Step 4: Get Help When Needed
One of the biggest struggles in school is getting students to ask for help in school. Many students are scared or nervous to ask a question in fear of their peers making fun of the question or their intelligence.
If you don’t understand something, ask the teacher to politely help you and provide another example. If you are extremely nervous, remain after class or after school and ask the teacher for extra help. Remember, its okay to ask questions, especially if they are important.
“Don’t decide you care about school when it’s too late. Set yourself a great standard in the first year and continue through with it. It makes high school so much more enjoyable when you aren’t worrying about something as silly as grades,” said Poff.
Step 5: Make sure to get enough sleep
Sleep, we love it yet think it’s a waste of time. According to teens health, teenagers need on average 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night. As hard as it seems, try to put down the cell phone and laptop and go to bed early.
“I get tired really early so I normally go to bed around 9:30 or 10. It seems early but I don’t mind considering I feel awake everyday and am more productive,” said Marguet.
If you absolutely hate going to bed early, allow yourself to stay up later on the weekends instead of school days. You will be providing benefits to your physical health and mental health. And, you’ll get rid of those stubborn under eye bags.
Step 6: Balance Time
This is probably the most important step. Allow yourself 2 – 3 hours each night to have time to yourself. This is essential to succeeding in school and staying stress free. Don’t allow school to fully take of your life. Try to allow yourself 2 hours to study. Take a break if you absolutely must keep studying. Make sure you know how to balance your time accordingly.
“Keep in mind that academics must come first if you are involved with any extra curricular activities, so make sure to prioritize your time,” said Newkirk.
If you play an extra sport or other extracurricular activity, make sure academics are the number one on your list. Do not forget to study and allow time for school work. Get your studying and homework done before you go to practice or a game, so you won’t have a burden on your shoulders when you come home tired. Remember, routines are good.
Although school may seem never ending and summer may seem to get further and further away, it will all be over before you know it. Remember that when you feel burned out or tired of going to school. Time flies when you’re having fun, so keep your chin up at all times.