How many homework assignments do you have due next week and you still haven’t even started doing them? Does the answer to this question bother you? Makes you feel unproductive? Do you sense that bust of academic guilt inside you? Well, congratulations then! You have just been diagnosed with Ms Overachiever + Perfectionist-who-likes-to-stay-on-top-of-her-work syndrome, and here’s how to eradicate that negative thought process that brings you down every single time.
To make you academically stable this year, scroll down to bullet number one for tips to achieve the mindset of that relaxed backbencher who scores a beautiful A*. Stereotypical much? Surely, but that’s not important.
What’s important now is bullet number one i.e.
1. Create a to-do list:
Sounds very boring, but once you discover the fun apps to acquire that aesthetic Pinterest-y timetable, you’ll want to add more and more tasks to your extremely effective to-do list.
However, you should always remember that this list is for you. Ensure that the tasks created are within your capability and fit well into your daily routine. Google Calendar has a stunning feature that allows you to view every single day separately and list down the tasks for that day according to the hours. Works wonders for me, I’ll recommend you try it for yourself now!
Such small-case targets provide you with efficient directions for your study session and give you the confidence that supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (aka wonderful) feeling of having your life together for once.
[Editor’s note: I am not the person that would build my to-do lists on apps. So, I carry a small makeshift notepad and a pen with me. Usually, this technique would work well in schools since they don’t always allow students to bring their phones on campus.]
Be mindful of the fact that you create SMART tasks.
S – Specific
M -Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Timely
2. Participate in your classes:
For some, this may sound like an incredibly difficult task to do. Social anxiety and fear of public speaking are certainly real. However, you need to develop the courage to raise your hand in class at least once a week. When you do it once, then you’ll start doing it twice and then thrice; soon, you’ll surely get the hang of it. Even teachers appreciate the fact that you are interested in their subject. The easiest way to be an active class participant is to act like only you and the teacher are present there. Nobody else is present or watching. Trust me, this does work wonders.
Engaging in class will not only make the lectures shorter, more interesting and more bearable, but it will also help you to clear your concepts and leave a good impression on the teacher. You’ll start looking forward to your classes and certainly begin getting the hang of chapters that you previously struggled with.
[Editor’s note: if you want to make an even better impression on your teacher, here’s something I do; pay attention in your lecture and at the very end of the class, or maybe even the next day, you can go up to your teacher and ask them something about your last class. Make sure that ‘something’ isn’t very obvious or too advanced for your level; just show that you have a level of interest in your subjects and probably wouldn’t mind talking to your teachers about it.]
3. Clean up your working place:
I’m sure we’ve all dreamt of getting that perfectly organized desk with an aesthetically pleasing assortment of sticky notes and colourful highlighters to go with it. Nevertheless, you may feel immensely better studying without all those atrocious luxuries as well. All you need to do is get all that dirt and snack wrappers off your desk and organise your stationery and study material properly before your study sessions. Don’t keep them far away from you when you sit down to study.
So go and grab some coffee, highlighters, notebooks, study material, a cute and cosy candle and a bunch of motivation, sit down and START.
AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
Trust me, you’re going to be so immensely proud of yourself later and grateful too, to get that huge burden off your head. Thus, to start giving off Rory Gilmore vibes, keep your phone aside and begin!
[Editor’s note: That was such a cute ending I don’t wanna ruin it, but I have another tip that would go along with the ones mentioned above; don’t ever procrastinate. It is ridiculously easy to put off a task till later times, but trust me and every other senior on this one, don’t put those tasks off. I have a 10-30 minute rule that I follow; if the task can be done in under ten minutes, just do it right now, no questions asked. If it is longer than 10 minutes but shorter than 30 minutes, divide it into three parts then do each part with a five minute break in between. If it takes longer than 30 minutes to do, start on it a day earlier than you usually would and use the famous Pomodoro technique to conquer it. I have followed this rule religiously since ninth grade and it has saved me hundreds, if not thousands of sleepless nights. That’d be it from my side, see you all next time 🙂 ]
