The summer holidays are over yet again and it’s back to school. You’re probably wishing for a divine miracle to somehow get an extra week off to do the things you never got to do, or just to sleep in. However, it’s an important part of the year, the best time to plan the year ahead and any goals or achievements you want to achieve by the end of the year. Planning ahead makes life that little bit easier, so you can just relax and have fun!
So you’re probably thinking that the idea sounds good but where to start? Simple. One way would be to make a timetable which acts as your schedule you live by. It’s pretty much a way to structure your day to day life. The idea of having one sounds really restricted and if you’re a spontaneous person, this definitely wouldn’t float your boat, but if you plan it out right and abide by it, you can achieve the goals and achievements that you’re striving for.
Another way to get ahead of everyone would be to do some research and find out what your school can offer you to excel not just academically, but also with co-curricular activities. This would include any clubs (eg; Chess club), committees (eg; Newsletter, formal, camp or school magazine) and sports (eg; Area, district and participation in school sport events like cross country), only to mention a few. With some schools you can check online or refer to merit award sheets which are given out to student. Browse through each category, pick something you like and talk to the teacher in charge for more information. Remember to highlight or write it down somewhere so you don’t forget!
Planning out a year ahead is hard work and maintaining it in a neat manner can be difficult too. So my advice is to buy a full length calendar and a small whiteboard to write down events or reminders. That way you can avoid losing reminders on a small pieces of paper for next week! By writing certain events or deadlines on a calendar, it not only serves as a reminder but also a way to keep you on top of the work so you can prepare your time wisely to cater for those commitments or assignments. This way you can get everything done comfortably and the overall quality of your work will be much better as opposed to a last minute hand in.
I’ve left the most important point till last and that is to think positive! If you didn’t do that well last year, no sweat. There’s always a chance to flip it around and do much better this year. By starting a new year with pessimistic thoughts, you bring stress upon yourself and you lack motivation to complete any task to the best of your ability. The best thing to do is to look back on last year, try and find out what went wrong, how and why, and then figure out ways to prevent the same thing happening this year. It will take a while to do but it’s a great way to get prepared for the year ahead, it’s pretty much self-assessment and who better to assess you than yourself.
Sure, buying new pens, texts, books and folders are fun but what’s more important is how well you engage yourself this year both academically and with co-curricular activities. Also, remember that the tips mentioned above are not only useful in school but also at university as well. Believe me, university is no easy task and you will lose track of time and your work as a result of poor management. However if you practice these essential methods now to plan out your time, it will prepare you well for university and its workload demands.
By being focussed, motivated and thinking positively, you can achieve any goal that you’re striving for.
– Thanu (S4S Coaching)