focus

It is officially my last first day of school (jk I’m doing a Master’s). Somehow have carved out time to actually do uni work in preparation for my first lecture of the year tomorrow – new year new me amirite?

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• place your alarm clock somewhere out of reach so that you are forced to get up
• drink one or two glasses of water after waking up to get your body working and maybe stretch a little
• avoid sugary foods for breakfast. eat whole grain bread or oat flakes with fresh fruit and yogurt. this way you won’t get hungry before midday and you’ll be full of energy

• participate in class. ask questions and don’t worry that someone will laugh, no one will. they won’t probably even care or be extremly thankful that you actually had the balls to ask a question they were too afraid to ask themselves. and if someone laughs att you, f them. you’re here to learn for yourself, not for them. besides, we all have asked stupid questions and we know it
• take notes. you don’t have to write down everything the teacher says. just write down the most important things and the things the teacher repeats. write down everything they write on the board, it’s probable that’ll be on a test or exam. keep your notes short but complete
• use highlighters if you feel like it. you don’t have to but it often helps finding the most important terms while going through your notes or revising for a test
• eat. if you aren’t hungry during the first break at least eat something during lunch break. your brain needs the energy and it’ll prevent you from having headaches during last period. but please try to eat something healthy and not that disgusting junk
• drink water whenever you get the possibility. keep your body hydrated
• revise your notes during free periods or do your homework. if you get distracted easily by others, listen to some calm music if you’re allowed to. use that free time to get work done. but don’t worry if you use that free time to talk to your friends. we all need a break sometime

• do your homework as soon as you get home from school so that you have the rest of the evening to yourself
• revise or rewrite your notes if you need to
• eat a snack to get back some energy
• go for a walk, workout a little bit or go out with some friends (if you’ve got the time)  it’ll help you relax and you’ll finally get a break from school
• read a book or listen to some music
• take a nap if you’re tired
• pack your bag/backpack the evening before class. it’ll save you time and you’re less likely to forget stuff on your desk

• use the pomodoro technique or the forest app to to stay focused
• start with the easy tasks
• if you have some essays or presentations due in a few days/weeks time start preparing them the day you the teacher announces it. it’ll save you time and you won’t have to do everything last minute. you know how stressed you get when you have to do a paper that is due to tomorrow
• if you have a book to read break it down to chapters and read one everyday. that way it’ll seem less work and yo get done faster
• use this website for correcting essays
• reward yourself for your hard work. take a break, watch a youtube video, check your social media or eat a snack and then go back to work after a few minutes

• if you get the possibility to participate in some clubs or sports then grab your chance. you’ll be able to socialise and find new friends
• but please don’t go overboard with your extracurricular activities. they can take a lot of your time and you could fall behind if you don’t keep eye out

• don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. try not to miss or skip too many classes. ask some friends to lend you their notes so that you can copy them and revise them later
• ask your teacher to explain things you didn’t understand. if they can’t explain it to you during class go meet them after class. show them that you are interested and they’ll be more willing to explain you everything
• take extra classes if you really have problems in a class. they can be helpful in most cases and even if you understand the subject it can always help to have someone else explain it to you
• ask the teacher to give you extra exercices. it shows them that you want to improve and it could give you some extra points. it’ll help you revise at the same time

• try to be as organized as possible. it’s a lot easier to focus when you don’t distracted by all that mess around you
• always keep feminine toiletries and all that jazz with. you’ll never know when you need it
• meditate or do some yoga (if you like it). it can help you relax and give you some energy
• remember your (mental) health is more important than your grades. if you actually feel bad, stay at home and take a day off
• don’t get too stressed about getting straight A’s. do your best and work for yourself, not others. set goals and work towards them. show yourself that you can do it but don’t panic if you fail, it happens to all of us. learn from your mistakes and try to do your best the next time
• don’t stress too much about being in a relationship. focus on your work and if the time is right it’ll arrange itself. just don’t get too caught up in it
• you shouldn’t care about popularity. look for people you have something in common with and stay with them. it doesn’t help to have friends that only act as if they like you and then toss you in the corner if they don’t need you anymore. and if you are popular, don’t act like an asshole, please
• try to respect the rules and teachers. only bad stuff comes from being hated by your teachers (speaking from experience)
• have fun. school can get tough but if you have a positive outlook on things than it won’t be as bad as you may think
• speak to someone if you have problems or struggle to deal with things. if things get too much, just open up to someone, get it off your chest. keeping things for yourself will only make it worse