A few years ago, I overheard an owner of a well-known meeting place as he tried to get his customers to leave the premises – ‘School in the morning!’. For many of us this week or next week, we have school in the morning. Whether you are a parent or student or pupil, you will be effected by the transition from summer to autumn, which is the time of year that our schools open again. Many have already opened. It is time to re-focus, get the school bag out, clear the desk and get ‘stuck-in’ again, back into routine. Easier said than done; though a lot of people have said to me over the past few days that they cannot wait for the schools / colleges to open again (including young people).
As young people actually returning to school / college, you are the most effected, so to help you make the smooth and quick transition from late mornings to early mornings, think about doing the following:
1. Prepare your study room / place / desk
2. Buy new stuff
3. Do a study plan
4. Set goals
5. Start the way you mean to continue
Prepare your study room / place / desk:
Do an ‘autumn‘ clean of your room. It can be hard to do this and to easily procrastinate on. Set a day and time to do this. Choose a 30 minute time period to do it in and you will be surprised that you will do it, what you will do and that you will get it finished. The feeling is great afterwards. It is important to do this and start the new school / college year with a clean room and desk, free from all clutter, making space for new learning and development.
Buy new stuff:
By buying new stuff I mean buying new school stationery. Go to a good office supplies / school supplies shop and buy new pens, pencils etc. that you will need for the year ahead. Throw out the old / used stuff. New is good and the investment is not excessive. You will feel good afterwards, making you almost look forward to school / college and using them.
Do a study plan:
Study plans are the foundation of your school / college years. If done properly and completely, where every hour of your every day in every week during the school terms is accounted for / allocated an activity (linked to learning and getting excellent results), you will achieve what you set out to achieve. Put it on paper and place over your desk. You must stick to the plan. When you do, you will be rewarded.
Set goals:
Set educational goals around your individual subjects, courses, indeed final results. What is your target points / grade figure / grade letter? What do you think you can realistically achieve if you put in the effort, time and discipline? Write the goals on paper and put them in a place where you can see them everyday. Make them realistic, achievable, interesting, yet challenging.
Start the way you mean to continue:
With all of the above done; preparing your study room / place / desk, buying new stuff, doing a study plan and setting goals, you can only succeed. You are now focused and ready to take on the academic challenges that lie ahead. It is only for a few months! Do all you can, enjoy it and don’t forget to live too, but only during official school mid-term breaks. Even during these periods of short breaks, the ambitious and goal-setting students are doing some academic work…
