This may not seem like a midterm tip, but having an established routine that you follow can ease your mind and help carve out time to enjoy yourself and study effectively in this stressful season.
I like to plan out my days starting from when I wake up, but I know that not everyone likes to do that. I personally wake up early to give myself a slow morning before I start doing work which is another little time for some self-care. I start my day off with some journaling, using a prompt to allow myself to generate some stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which helps me get out any worries that I have. I also list three things I’m grateful for, three things that will make today a good day, and a daily affirmation. I do those things to help start my day out on a positive note.
Once I start doing school work I look over my to-do list to see all my tasks for today. I like to break down each task into something smaller. If I have a paper to write, one task may be writing the thesis, another is making my outline, and a third is finding quotations. By splitting my tasks down into something smaller my large projects seem a lot more manageable.
Set Timers to Plan your day
Another thing I like to do to make my day more manageable is to use Pomodoro timers. Not only are they proven to work, but you can adjust your study time for however long you want and breaks are built in. You can find Pomodoro timers on YouTube or on various apps. My personal favourite is the lifeat.io timer as it allows you to customize your background and add any rain noises or music to help you study.
If on a break make sure you are actually using it as a moment to step away from your task, take your breaks as they come. You may choose to try to use one of your long breaks to eat your meals but it’s important to remember that nourishment is integral to fuel your body and mind. Pause your timer and take your well-earned break separate from your meals. Just don’t forget to restart your timer.
how to end your day
At the end of the day – whether that be you completing all your tasks, finishing the amount of Pomodoros you set out to do, or simply your brain being done – take a moment to plan out the next day. Look at the overarching tasks, organize them by priority, and break them down. By taking the time to plan your day in advance you don’t need to worry about any of your many tasks getting lost in the cracks. Add whatever you need to do for the day, including classes, working out, calling your mom or whatever you need to accomplish regardless of whether or not it’s for school. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a bunch of checked-off tasks on your list.
Now that you know what you need to do tomorrow, relax for the night. Watch an episode of a show, read a book, etc. Do whatever you want before going to bed, though make sure you do that at a reasonable time. No matter what you say the adolescent brain needs at least 7 hours of sleep to function optimally and during a busy season, prime function is essential.
I like to finish off my day by having a cup of chamomile tea, reading in bed and finishing off my journal for the day by listing three highlights of the day and something I learned. Starting and ending each day on a positive note allows me to remind myself of the bigger picture and how lucky I am to even be given the opportunity to pursue secondary education.