The first week of school is similar to the day after January first: you are full of promising wishes for the upcoming weeks and even feel a regained portion of energy running through your veins. Unfortunately, much like the “New Year – New Me” scenario, you end up going down the same old paths you weren’t going to follow this time around. You know what I mean! Stress-writing your mid-term essay in a Second Cup after chugging two espresso shots; trying to read six chapters in one night for a 10 p.m. online quiz three hours before; stalking classmates on Facebook to summon them for class notes you are not sure you have (but you low-key know you do not have because you did not attend that class.) Stress does not look cute on anyone and quite frankly, is not necessary. I understand that “back-to-school slay” only sounds exciting to us new book smell fanatics, but I have gathered a couple of tricks over the years to remain as stress-free as possible during the semester. Here are my five indispensable tips to slaying the return to class and staying on track for the weeks to come:
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Use an agenda you actually want to write in
You can pick up one of the free agendas the school hands out in the first couple of days or buy an adorable agenda with a lot of space to boost your motivation. Agendas are not only good for writing assignments and due dates; I use mine for everything! Insert work shifts, recurring activities or clubs, gym sessions, etc. This will stop you from seeing empty dates and thinking “Oh! I still have plenty of time before this exam” when you actually have a lot going on during those days and will likely end up rushing your studies.
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Plan your study sessions as well as your “fun” times
I know the idea of planning your “fun” times does not sound exciting, but hear me out. Choosing specific dates to let loose will help you keep yourself balanced. For example, if after entering in my agenda my school schedule and my work schedule, I have Tuesdays and Fridays left; I might choose Tuesday to be my study day and Friday to be my fun day. Which means, Tuesday is the day where I will hide in the library and read over my notes and complete my missing readings. Even if I end up finishing my work earlier, I will use up most of the day to be productive. The beauty of reserving a day for non-school related activities is that you will not feel like you are missing out by being in the library studying an entire day because you will know that in a couple of days, your fun is to come. Also, you will enjoy your Friday sangria so much more if you know you’ve completed all of your school.
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Make realistic goals for the semester and work towards them
The key word here is “realistic”. I used to beat myself down a lot in my first semesters of university when I realized that after a lot of effort, the only letter in the alphabet my grades cared about was “B”. I was extremely unsatisfied with myself because I was longing to be a 4.0 student from the start. The issue with fixating on a super high and unrealistic goal is that, the moment you slip up a bit, it is easier to get discouraged. Instead, what I advise my collegiettes to do is to focus on goals that are realistic. Goals do not have to be grade oriented: you might want to have two study sessions a week, meet with all of your teachers, send your proposals in earlier, complete two chapters a week, etc. Choose proactive goals that will lead you to a grade you will be content with. I do not believe being a 4.0 student is impossible, it has been done before. I just had to make peace with the fact that with my busy life and the amount of sleep I wanted, a 3.5 would do the job. Only we know our capabilities and it is important to find tools that will keep us aligned towards a constant motivation. That is where those semester goals come in handy.
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Instead of buying four notebooks, try having everything in one folder
To be honest, I was never a fan of the “one-folder” hack until I tried it. It is miraculous the time you save looking for your notes when everything is right there, in the same place. There are different ways to do it: you can buy both a binder and separators and take your notes on loose sheets or you can buy a folder that already has separators and place notes inside. An important piece of paper to have in whichever tool you chose, is your syllabus. Each syllabus should be at the beginning of each class’s section. Syllabuses can get lost easily even though teachers swear by them throughout the semester. For those classes where the teacher uploads the syllabus online, do not hesitate to print it and place it in your folder or your binder.
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Have a visual calendar in your bedroom
I bought my calendar at the dollar store and it was both the cheapest and best investment. I use a simple dry-erase marker type of calendar. It’s nothing fancy, but it saves my life every time. It gives me a visual of my monthly activities and provides me with the information I need to make wise decisions. Before long-term plans with someone, I will take a look at my calendar and realize that a certain week may be too packed already with assignments whereas another one has a lighter workload. What I am trying to do here is avoid jam packing plans with friends and appointments during weeks where I have the most work to do for school.
All in all, your academic success is in your hands. You control the amount of time and energy you put into your education. I am a firm believer that if we start a school year strong, we can finish the semester with a certain ease. Find what it is that motivates you; whether it’s matching pencils or a cute portable coffee mug and be the boss lady you know you can be!