I love seeing the new school year (for me in the UK, it begins in September) as a fresh start for myself, to set new goals and get into a good school routine again. I hope some of the following tips help any of you starting a new school year soon! Write down a list of all of your long-term goals (e.g. university, career, future house and stability etc) and your short-term goals (e.g. getting an A in a small exam, take part in lessons more etc) – you could type these goals up so they are easily adjustable and you can keep referring to them! Next to each goal, write down all the steps to get there.
​Here’s an example, in the case of an aspiring medical student:
Achieve well in mock GCSEs
Achieve well in GCSEs
Get into sixth form
Do well in AS exams
Complete work experience
Complete voluntary work
Write personal statement
Complete medicine admissions tests
Do well in university interviews
Do well in A2 mock exams
Do well in A2 exams (and meet my university offer!)
The more specific, the better! Seeing each step to reach your goal will help motivate you to reach it, taking one step at a time can make huge goals less overwhelming, and eventually you will look back at your journey and be so proud of yourself! Write a list of everything that went wrong last year, and then write things you can do to prevent this happening! Although writing all the ‘wrong’ things seems negative, I think this is a good task to help turn your weaknesses into strengths and to make sure that the upcoming year will go well. An example might be, ‘I didn’t always hand in my homework in time’ and the solution may be ‘Complete homework on the day I get it, as soon as I get home’. This is also a good idea for assessing your revision techniques, if a certain technique wasn’t working for you last year, it’s important to realise that so you can revise as productively as possible! Organise your pencil case, your school bag and your work space- there’s no better feeling than being all organised, and the start of the school year is a perfect time for this! Whether you have a new school bag or you are using the same one from last year, organise it as neatly as you can and only keep essential items in there so it doesn’t become to cluttered (and heavy!). If you have a desk, or a particular space where you study, maybe have a bit of a redecorate in that space! I love sitting down at a clean and tidy desk, so it always makes me more likely to sit down and revise! All of the pastel pink products in this picture are from Ryman- they currently have a 3 for 2 offer on their pastel range, they are so pretty and such good products! Plan out your morning and night routines! Getting back into a good routine is always tricky for me when I start school again, I am definitely not a morning person and it always takes me a while to get back into my school routine! Maybe write out your routines, with the exact times that you will do everything in the morning and in the evening. This way, you are more likely to continue with your routine throughout the school year. Try and get back into a routine a few days before you start school again- gradually start going to bed earlier and getting up earlier to get your body used to it for the first day back at school! I like having things to look forward to in a morning, to encourage me to get up out of bed easier- this may include a certain breakfast that you enjoy, giving time to watch a TV programme whilst you get ready etc. I hope some of these tips helped any of you starting back at school soon- I hope you have a fantastic school year and have a great first day back! x