It’s back-to-school season once again – a time of joy for some, a period of frustration for others, and a transitional phase for everyone.
However you feel about it, it’s happening. But it doesn’t have to be as tumultuous as in years past. Every new year is a fresh opportunity to rededicate yourself to your education, organize your priorities, hone your time management skills and implement effective strategies to get ahead.
So that’s exactly what we’ll do. In this article, let’s review three tips for an ultra-productive year of high school. Follow these tips to get ahead in your courses, boost your grades and hopefully make this new semester a little less rocky.
Set SMART Goals for the Year
First things first: If you want to succeed, you have to put it in writing. Creating goals allows you to externalize your ambitions, track your progress and stay motivated throughout the year. To make effective goals, consider the “SMART” method. Make your goals:
- Specific: For instance, you “want a B-plus or higher in grade 12 English.”
- Measurable: For example, you “can measure your progress by tallying graded assignments and tests throughout the year.”
- Achievable: You aren’t shooting for an A-plus in physics, which is a rarity. Instead, you are testing the upper limits of what you can achieve.
- Relevant: For instance, you “want a high grade in English because you hope to enter a creative writing program at your preferred university.”
- Time-Bound: You “have until the end of the year to complete this goal.”
Keep these goals somewhere accessible, like a notebook or the notes app on your phone.
Consider Online Courses to Get Ahead
Online courses are a fantastic way to get ahead in high school. Because the best online schools are self-paced and flexible, you can complete them alongside your regular school courses and finish them sooner. Better yet, talk to a parent or guardian about making a full switch to an online school so you can complete your entire high school career sooner.
Just make sure you find somewhere that offers ministry-inspected Ontario high school courses online(or online courses wherever you live). It’s imperative that you find a school that provides credits accepted by all public schools, universities and colleges.
Practice Long- and Short-Term Time Management Strategies
As you embark on achieving your goals at an online school, pay attention to time management. It’s natural to want to “go with the flow” or procrastinate with an upcoming deadline, but those aren’t strategies conducive to success. Instead, hone your short- and long-term time management strategies.
For long-term time management, keep a detailed agenda with major deadlines, test dates, etc. If you’re at a self-paced online school, you can also allocate time in this agenda to complete each unit. And for short-term time management, consider downloading distraction-busting apps and workflow apps to keep you focused.
Back-to-school season doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. With these three straightforward strategies, you can greet the year with grit, determination and a solid plan.
