While many students try their best to stay on top of their schoolwork for a whole semester, not all are able to keep up past the first few weeks.
To some, it may seem impossible to be as motivated and as organized as they were during those first few weeks of a new semester. Falling behind in assignments or readings feels inevitable, and it’s only a matter of time until they’re scrambling the night before to finish an assignment worth half of their grade.
The mountain of schoolwork and hours of extra-curriculars add up and unfortunately, some fall too far behind to be able to succeed. The workload gets to a point where it seems never-ending and before they know it, students find themselves just doing nothing at all and wondering how their lives got to that point.
Although it requires effort, staying organized isn’t as hard as it seems. A few simple steps can prevent mental breakdowns, diminish constant stress and can almost guarantee some form of personal or academic success.
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Have a personal calendar
Keeping track of due dates and commitments is arguably the most important task for a student, especially if they’re involved in sports or after-school activities. Trying to memorize important dates leads to forgetting important dates, which leads to nothing good.
One of the best ways to keep track of a busy life is to properly use an agenda. They can be personalized with pictures and doodles to make it fun but it’s important to know how to use it properly.
Due dates and dates of exams should be written in bright, eye-catching colours. Don’t pencil them in: they’ll just blend in with everything else. Important, immovable things need to stand out in order to ensure that they’re not accidentally forgotten.
Out-of-school activities should also be a different colour than in-school activities in order to help prioritize tasks.
Keeping a colour-coded agenda will help students be able to visualize what they have to do in their near future as well as help them stay on top of their many tasks. For those who don’t like old-fashioned, hand-written agendas, there are many apps for both Apple and Android devices that will do the same job, such as Google Calendar.
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Make a list
Seeing when things are due is important, but it’s also crucial to make sure they get done on time. To do this, make a weekly list of all the assignments due the following week and break down the tasks into smaller, more detailed steps.
Have an essay to write? Break it down into the outline, research, introduction, body, conclusion and works cited. Make it as detailed as possible: this will help mentally prepare you for all the work involved to complete a task. It is better to overestimate the amount of work and time needed for a task than it is to underestimate it.
The list should also be prioritized in order of due dates. By completing the less urgent tasks first, students may find themselves discouraged when they realize that they haven’t accomplished anything that they need done in their near future.
To break it down even further, the list should be divided for separate days. Trying to accomplish everything for the whole week in a single day won’t work. Try to give a maximum of two hours worth of work in a single day. More than that will lead to sloppy work. Two hours a day makes for 10 hours per school-week, which should be enough time to get everything done.
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Go to sleep!
As kids, so many people fought their parents on their bed time. Staying up late was seen as cool- but now, maintaining a healthy sleep schedule is important for academic success.
Countless studies have all shown the same thing: 8-10 hours of sleep per night is the suggested amount for prime performance the following day. Getting these important hours is easier when you make yourself a schedule.
About an hour before you go to sleep, refrain from all electronics. Go to bed, read a book, and decompress for an hour. After that, turn out the lights, and actually go to sleep!
If at all possible, go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Getting your body and brain into a sleep schedule will allow for more energy and less coffee-fueled mornings.
Eventually, by creating a schedule for studies, extracurriculars and sleep, a healthy routine will be established that will lead to more success and happiness.
Happy studies!