3 Things I Do Before School Starts To Have a Great Year
As a busy student, there are a few things that help me succeed during the school year.
(Courtesy of Ayah Al-Masyabi)
Aurora; Colorado — As a dual enrollment student, a high schooler who takes college classes, I have a lot of homework and studying to do. Including all my extracurriculars, it is a lot to manage and continue to excel at. As I have struggled and thrived through many school years, I realized that to do well, I must set myself up for success.
From planning my days out to learning the best ways to study, many things that have worked and others didn’t. Out of them all, here are three that have helped me the most!
Vision Board
While some people make a vision board at the beginning of the year, I find that making it before the school year starts helps me set my goals for the next nine months. A vision board can be digital or physical, minimalist or more complex, but what matters is that your goals, no matter how big or small, are visualized on it. Personally, I choose my most important goals and surround them with pictures that are related to the process and completion of that goal. I also make room for pictures that make me happy and include things I want to have, like Nike sneakers! After combining everything to make a perfect vision board,it is essential to put it somewhere you can see it every day, which can be on your desk or lock screen. Visualizing my goals and being able to see them every day, reminds me of what I am working towards, which always gives me a boost.
Fun School Checklist
Creating a fun checklist for school is a must, not only for tracking all the work I must complete but also to motivate me. Making checklists is easy, with there being many templates online or simply making my own with a table and some lines. Once the basics for a school checklist are down, it is important to make it enjoyable to look at and motivating. I like to decorate the edges of my checklists with things that not only make me happy but motivate me. For example, you could add a personal sporting hero, favorite quotes and goals that you are working towards. Making a checklist for each class helps keep things organized, so at the beginning of the week, I can fill it out with my homework. Keeping track of all I need to do helps me organize my days more and make sure that I completed all that I need to do.
Find Joy
An often-overlooked necessity of having a good school year is to find a joyful and relaxing activity to do every week. The constant grind of school often is tiring and feels like an uphill battle, but making time for joy gives me a boost and prevents burnout. It depends from person to person how long and what this time is spent doing. It could be finding a new show to watch or a video game to play every weekend. For me, every weekend I often wake up early, make a snack, and then watch my beloved Liverpool FC play in the English Premier League. Lose, win or draw, this ritual has given me something to look forward to during the week when things get difficult. It always gives me the push I need to complete all my work. Finding something that brings joy and refreshes, is necessary to be successful continuously without falling into burnout.
Ayah Al-Masyabi, (she/her) is from Aurora, Colorado, and is an artist, writer and journalist who covers culture and sports. Follow her on Instagram @ayahalmart.
Edited by Nykeya Woods