As the school year comes to a close, it’s your chance to end it with a total bang! Here are some tips that have transformed my life and those around me. You deserve only the best — so, go after it.
- Create the ultimate goal sheet
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Goal sheets are one of the most powerful tools that many often forget to take advantage of. Through them we are able to self-reflect and work towards becoming better versions of ourselves, independently. They are often associated with January of the new year, but forget that! Goal sheets should be made, edited and revisited as often as possible. Keep yourself in check and stay in touch with your vision. In time, you’ll be where you never thought possible before. Click here for my past article on a detailed explanation of this tip.
- Give gratitude daily & practice presence
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Yes, it sounds so cheesy and yes, it’s life changing! Giving gratitude every morning reminds you of every wonderful gift your life holds, unconsciously taking away your habit of complaining. Once you give thanks for things you would otherwise take for granted, room for complaints or let downs are slim. Unexpected outcomes become easy to accept. Great news becomes amazing news. Life becomes so much better.
This simultaneously leads you to become more present and truly enjoy every moment. Walking to class becomes not a tiring walk, but a needed workout. Long lectures are no longer boring but a gift of knowledge. Things you “have” to do become things you have the privilege to do. And what did this all take? A quick mentality fix.
- Prioritize your health & wellbeing
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I cannot emphasize this enough. Staying up late and losing hours of sleep is not cool. Being sleep deprived is not cool. Chugging down coffee and Yerba Mattes is not cool. Being healthy, rested, and happy — that is pretty darn cool! Eat good food. Drink lots of water. Be good to your body. College has built a stigma to create restless, tired and overworked students. And yes, that does happen! But it is also in your control to moderate and even avoid this burn out. Of course, sometimes we lose control and we feel how we are supposed to feel. And that is a wonderful power we all hold. But, it should be joined by our efforts to feel grounded, strong, happy and healthy. That is sustainable. No sleep and mental fogginess are not.
- Figure out your ideal planning method & stick to it
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Ah, planners. We’re all guilty of heading to Target because we want to “get our lives together” with some totally cute, stationary-filled planner. I mean, I’ve done it every year I’ve been in school. And, every year I’ve been in school, I used it for the first week. That was it. I finally resorted to using Google Calendar and have not stopped since! It’s easy, convenient and available on all of my devices. But this only comes to show there are different ways to stay organized. Not everyone enjoys the online solution! So, figure out which works best for you and stick to it. The last thing you want is to forget important school dates during festival season…
- Engage in education both in & out of the classroom
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This will make attending lectures, completing assignments and working towards your academic end goal so much easier. Again, it’s a mentality fix. Why are you in college? To get a degree? To get a job? If those are your answers, that’s where the problem lies. Institutions are stationed throughout the world in order to deliver the power of knowledge to individuals. Yes, it comes with a degree which can later lead to a job. But your purpose as a student is to learn. Not only learn about subjects you are interested but about life, about people and places. So, do just that. Enjoy learning once you’re out of class. You will in turn, dig deeper and deeper into the material without realizing it, giving you a heightened understanding of what would otherwise be absent. Also, find interest in concepts that aren’t mandatory for you to know, like the lewis structure of certain molecules. Learn about things that you think are cool! Health care, politics, business… the list goes on.
- Create effective study plans early on
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Cramming is not fun. Some say that it works for them, and it may! But in the end, ask yourself: “Will cramming 8 weeks of material into one night stress me out?” If the answer is no, then go for it! But if the answer is yes, why even bother? That type of stress can be completely controlled. So, control it early on with study plans. Get onto your calendar and make time blocks throughout the weeks approaching your exams for certain subjects. Spreading out studying has been proven to create long term retention and I promise, is much less stressful.
Click here for a wonderful set of exam prep calendars– weekly & daily!
- Stay consistent with your priorities
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Constantly remind yourself about what is most important to you and what you value. Friends? Family? Work? What is it? All of them? How are you going to make sure you prioritize those? Busy schedules can make us fall short of what really matters to us and making time for it. We often even forget and question, “what even are my priorities”? Answer this question. Keep yourself in check. Click here to see how I do just that.
- Network outside of the workplace
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Networking is not just reserved for Linked In and the workplace. College is a wonderful place to make friends and meet tons of interesting people. There should be no limit to the people we meet, because each person has a unique story to tell. So, why not listen to them? Knowledge has no end. Learn about people. Listen to people. Strengthen your understanding of the world. Network.
- Connect your passions to your course work
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This connects to #5 slightly, but stretches on the idea of being a student both in and out of the classroom. Also see where your passions connect to what you’re already spending hours doing as a student. Imagine how fun and easy learning will become for you! Memorization will become a piece of cake. Studying will take less time. Connect your life to the material you constantly see. Make academics easier for yourself.
- Continue to remind yourself of the end goal
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Motivation slumps are real. Mood changes are real. Frustration is real. Nearly yesterday I claimed to be “annoyed at the world.” But then, I reminded myself of the end goal. What am I here for? I am here for the good days and the bad days. I am here to be a student. I am here to be kind and helpful. I am here to learn. I am here to make mistakes. I am here to have an amazing time. So, do the same for yourself. When going over difficult concepts and the stress builds up, remind yourself of the end goal, of your vision. This will keep you relaxed. This will keep you steady. Try it.