Don’t wait until the day before a test or when a paper’s due to get started. Give yourself your own mini deadlines so that you spread out your work into manageable chunks. For example, give yourself the goal of writing one or two pages of a paper a day. Plan in advance a day to revise the paper before it’s due. Give yourself a day to study each section of material that will be on the test.
Taking harder classes also looks better on your report card, especially if you’re applying for colleges soon.
When it’s time to start applying for colleges, don’t wait until the last minute! Get in on that early registration.
Keep all of your notes, tests, and quizzes organized by subject so you can review them later on.
If studying at home is too distracting, try going to a library or a coffee shop nearby.
For example, you could do 15 minutes of studying every day after dinner. Or, try studying for 10 minutes right when you get home from school.
Let your friend ask questions, too. If you can answer the questions, great! If not, go back and study a little more.
If your social life is lacking and it’s causing you stress or sadness, make a conscious effort to reach out more to the people you do know and like. Making friends isn’t always easy, but with a little confidence and effort, it can be done.
If your school doesn’t offer anything that you’re interested in, look around at your local community center.
Parents can help you with homework, give you advice on how to deal with a difficult teacher or peer, give you emotional support when you need it, and help you choose the right classes and career path. Siblings can help bolster your social life, give you studying advice, and, if they’re older and went to the same school as you, they can even let you know what to expect from certain teachers.
Cultivate positive mindsets to help manage anxiety. For example, don’t think that paper you’re working on as incomplete, but rather a work in progress. Instead of always focusing on how much left you have to learn, take some time to reflect on how far you’ve come.
You could also try bringing your laptop to a library or a coffee shop nearby.
If you’re having a tough time limiting your internet use, try using a website blocker like Cold Turkey or Freedom. An application like this will block distracting websites for a certain amount of time. Some people can listen to music while they work, but others can’t. You can decide for yourself what works best.
You might also have to ask your siblings to keep it down while you’re in class so you can pay attention.
If your class often meets via a video chat, it might be nice to keep your camera on. That way, your teacher can see that you’re paying attention while they’re talking.
Many teachers will be flexible about problems like these since they’re out of your control. This is especially important if you’re having trouble during an online test or exam.
Extracurricular activities are also great for meeting new people! Join a sports team, a club, or a youth group in your area. If you can’t see your friends in person, try talking via video chat or FaceTime instead.
