#10 – PowerUp! – Boost Your Self

Go for the gold in whatever form by powering yourself. You can start with a first-day “red bull outfit” that boosts your self-confidence or makes you comfortable and at ease. Go for color, brand, or just an overall mood.

You can also choose a power word for the new school year like “courage,” “perseverance,” “willpower” or a favorite quote and write them on post-it notes and random pages of your notebook. You will be surprised by how surprisingly welcome these little reminders would be as the school year goes along.

#9 – Study Goals – Know Where You Are Going

If you have relationship goals, then you better have your own study goals. Set your sights on what you want to accomplish this school year. Think concretely instead of the all-around and always vague “Study Hard!” It can be something as simple as “Study for 90 minutes every day” to “Read 2 new books every month” to “Getting all “ A’s” this semester.”

Don’t just stop there. If you are entering Junior High or Senior High, then set goals for what you want to achieve by the time you graduate. Go a bit further and set your college goals.”

Setting goals will lead you to make a plan about how to reach them, and that is what the next tip is meant to be.

#8 – Routines – Making Good Habits

Practice not only makes perfect; practice makes permanent. Routines are meant to instill lifelong habits that you will carry over into adulthood. Pay now or pay later” is what routines are all about. You can diligently work on your homework routine now or pay for the lack of study habits later when it comes to colleges and scholarships. It’s as simple as that.

Also, it’s not just homework and study time but all those little things that could make your school life easier like organizing your backpack the night before or tidying up after yourself or writing that essay now instead of two (2) hours before the deadline.

#7 – Sleep – Get Enough

Sleep is a fundamental human necessity. Nearly 845 research papers on sleep say that we ought to be sleeping, and you are probably sleeping less than what your body needs.

Preschool and kindergarten kids need at least ten (10) hours of sleep every night while 6 to 12-year olds should at leave have nine (9) hours. Teens need 8 to 10 hours of shuteye to have a restful and healthy night of sleep.

That may mean giving up some screen time or social media minutes, but getting enough sleep means being alert the following day, your body rested and both your physical and mental well-being taken cared of.

#6 – School Supplies – Get Pretty Organized

Make this year the “Year of Yourself” and personalize your school supplies. Go for cute, chill, or colorful but the end of it is making your school life fun and creative.

Writing down those history notes at 1 PM during class may make you nod off to slumberland, so perk yourself by having something pretty to write on.

Come up with a system to organize your binders. Make [STEM] classes green, and your Literature notes blue. Tab your priority assignments with red and finished classwork with yellow.

But most importantly, get ALL the supplies you need. If it’s on the list, you bet that it’s needed.

5# – Study Room and #Focus – No Distractions

The only way you can really focus during your study time is setting up your study room or study area. That means clean and clear space which should have room for your books and references.

Moreover, study with no distractions so skip the television and the smartphone during study time. Block social media notifications during this time and yeah, even while waiting for your favorite artist to drop her new music video on YouTube.

#4 – Get Real – Homework Takes Time

You might be the resident genius but set realistic goals and plans when doing your projects. That Chemistry experiment isn’t going to make things bubble within 24 hours if it needs fermentation and that book report on a 500-page novel will not write itself in six (6) hours.

Briefly speaking, set a manageable yet flexible study plan and work on your time management of you keep missing deadlines. Believe me; you would still be having a deadline even way into adulthood so form a good habit as early as now.

#3 – Friendship Goals – Make a New Friend

New school, new friends. Say “hi” to at least one person in each of your classes. Catch up with old friends before school opens to keep down the chatter on the first day of school.

If you are too shy, think that you are looking for a study buddy who you can exchange information with for that schoolwork.

Make memories with your friends or start a school tradition. It can be a once-a-month movie marathon or Friday night retro gaming.

#2 – Food – Eat Yourself to a Great School Year

Don’t skip breakfast!

Food is fuel, and you need something to fuel all that brain activity during the school day. Skipping breakfast will make you sleepy and lethargic. And don’t forget being #hungry. Hunger makes people moody and stressed.

Put power bars and emergency food in your locker.

For a quick pick-me-up, stash food in your locker. Just something that won’t smell or stain in case you forget. That power bar may come in handy when you oversleep. Trail mix and nuts are also a great healthy option.

#1 – Challenge Yourself – Your Time to Shine

Take up a new hobby or take your hobby to the next level. Get involved with extracurricular activities like the photography or art club. Or get involved with community matters and become a volunteer. Or muster the courage to ask that girl you really like for the longest time. Take a bit of personal risk and make one step forward to reach new goals.

Get out of the box of your usual school experiences and discover something new about yourself.

This School Year – Work It; Own It!