As with each new beginning, this new year is an excellent opportunity to have new goals and improve.
As a student, you have a lot on your list that will help you reach your goals and become fit for the future. For most students, the new year marks half of the academic year, and it is an excellent opportunity to improve where you need to, shed old habits, and be more dedicated to your study plans.
10 tips to help you be successful at school this year
1. Learn something new
Newness always makes us more curious and eager to learn. Thus, starting something new a course, a language, a passion- is a beautiful opportunity to become excited about something and do your best to achieve it.
2. Focus on a balance between school life and the personal life
A student or professional worker needs a balance between the things in your life. By doing so, you can give your best to the schoolwork. Having a happy and fulfilled personal life with meetings with friends, hobbies, and self-care can help you recharge. It is not about being lazy; it is about taking a break to have more incredible energy and greater focus on the school work.
3. Get more organized
When you have things organized, you can easily tackle every task you have to do. Having a routine will help you with your studies, and it is up to you to decide what this routine means – reviewing the study materials for a few minutes every day and having discussion points with your school group each week. Being organized looks different to different people, so find what that means for you, whether having an organized desk, a planner where you manage yourself every week, a specific time to go to sleep and wake up, or wherever makes you feel in charge and more comfortable, choose and make it happen. It will soon become your new regular.
4. Have a sleep routine
A good night’s rest is essential for preparing for a new learning day. If you do not have time or are not used to afternoon naps, a sleep routine at night helps your brain recharge. A healthy sleep routine with enough sleep hours will help you with your learning. It can also help you with your everyday tasks, life decisions, and response to other stimuli.
5. Ask for help
See where you need help, think of who can give it to you, accept that you need help to understand better, and reach out. This is the hardest thing to do – reaching out, but we all need help with some tasks to improve, so there is no shame in asking for help. Think of your parents, tutor, mentor, or advisor. Each one will surely be more than happy to help you.
6. See learning as a focus, not the grades
Learning is more important than the grades themselves. Please do not compare the grades between you and others; they are not the ones that dictate how much you know or what you are worth. And you should know that sometimes there are courses in which the grades are purely subjective. Please ensure you see beyond them, realize how much you know, and differentiate it from your grades. Do not let them let you down. You can only improve if you learn; learning is what will eventually matter and bring you value.
7. Exercise more
Having a healthy life will help you in all areas of your life. However, staying healthy and fit is very important for your school life and learning capacity. Make sure you exercise at least 30 minutes daily – run, stretch, fitness, swim, walk, etc. Regular exercise can improve focus and decrease stress.
8. Communicate
This is essential all the time, but now more than ever, when the pandemic has put distance between families, friends, school colleagues, students, and teachers, communication is the only means to get in touch and stay close to each other. Improve your communication by being a good listener, asserting yourself, over-communicating is better than under-communicating, and ensuring you know how to receive feedback.
9. Choose an internship opportunity
What better way to put what you learn into practice than taking an internship? If you are in a school that can help you find internship opportunities, ask for help; if there are few opportunities online, go check them out.
10. Trust yourself
Banishing self-doubt will bring out the best in you. Trust your abilities and your capacity to do anything you set your mind to. Doubting will get you nowhere. Trusting yourself will help you learn and discover new things!
Happy New Year! Let’s make the best of it.