How to make a dynamic return to school!

5 tips to help you overcome the intolerable come-back!

Mmm… End of September, beginning of October… Time of transcendence from the cloudless, lazy summer days towards the beginning of the new school year… or is it maybe the beginning of the “new year” overall for most of us? Apart from teachers and students whose whole year revolves around September to start new things, if we take a moment here to carefully think about it, this also goes out to most people, since after the relaxation and pause of reality during the summer months, September means the initiation on new projects at work, coming back to reality and an opportunity to set new goals.

Getting back to all students out there, now, who are grudgingly crossing out the days until school starts, there are some tips to help you adapt to the school start more easily and to overall boost your performance this school year!

1. Set new goals

Even before school starts, all of us should set some clear goals for the upcoming school year. Let’s find some time alone and get a pen and a piece of paper. Only when we are alone, we can think of our desired future goals undistracted. Write down whatever comes to your mind regarding what you would like to achieve in the next year.

At which lessons do you want to get better? Which sport or activity would you like to try out this year? Which foreign language would you like to start learning, or if you are in this already, which degree do you aspire to obtain? By answering to these simple questions, it is easier to know what you are aiming for and to write them all down in a list, prioritizing what is the most important to you and keeping this list always with you, by copying it in your new agenda or having it in your desk. This list of goals is something you should check as often as possible, when school starts, as it will keep you focused on your goals.

2. Create your own rules

Now is the time to shape your school routine. You can decide how often it is the most productive for you to take breaks while studying, how many times a week you can attend a sport practice without that impeding your studying, how many times you could possibly go out with your friends and so on. If you make this set of rules as soon as the school year begins, you will be able to follow them, without feeling pressed to do so by your parents or teachers. Designing a number of clever rules will highly improve your overall organization and therefore, it will offer you more free time in the end.

3. Organize your week ahead

In order for you to organize your week ahead efficiently, you will need to choose the right tools for that. Either you choose a traditional agenda or an electronic planner (personally I have both as it helps me make sure that I haven’t forgotten to write anything in either one), you will certainly need it so as to write down all your school lessons, foreign language classes, sport practices and other obligations you might have.

Every Sunday night, right before you indulge in a movie and pop-corn, take a few minutes of your time to check through the program of your up-coming week. Maybe you have a doctor’s appointment that was just added or a team project to will you will have to dedicate an afternoon probably. You will know what is going on, which days of that particular week will be busier and you will feel ahead of the game when the school starts on Monday morning.

4. Have a morning routine

It is true that most of us (including me!) hate early morning wake-ups. We usually get out of bed at the very last minute, we just grab a toast and sip hastily some milk or coffee and end up going to school with half the books we are supposed to and dressed like we were forced to evacuate the city because of a major catastrophe. It took me years to realize that this morning look does not represent my quality of character or my excellent student rank. Let it not take you as long, please!

So, the night before you go to bed, no matter how late it is, prepare your school bag for tomorrow. Even if you want to leave a book or note-book aside to make a quick revision in the morning, leave it right next to your bag (because there is also a chance that you won’t wake up for this small revision). In addition, take out the clothes and shoes you are planning to wear. Finally, start to gradually wake up five minutes earlier every day so that you can have a complete breakfast at your own pace. It will boost your energy and performance more than you can imagine.

I know that if you aren’t a morning person, all this sounds impossible to do but trust me, I have been there myself, you can create a morning routine that will improve your entire day without actually ever becoming a morning person.

5. De-clutter your room

If you haven’t already sorted out your office at the end of the last school year now it is time you do it! Remove every book, note-book, photocopy and photograph from where it used to be, check it thoroughly and then group things into categories. Make a group of things that you need to keep for the upcoming year, one pile of things you need to put into storage or higher selves of your bookcase and then throw away anything that doesn’t fit into these categories. Do not keep anything that is not needed and be sure that the new school year to come will bring you even more new memories from the ones these objects remind you.

So, wear your biggest smile, stay strong and positive that this is going to be a truly amazing new school year! It’s in your hands, after all!