Back-to-School/Study Tips + Ideas!

Hello there fellow wanderlusters! I'm back at it with posts featuring tips ... so, for the upcoming back to school season, I'll be sharing with you my best tips to get back into the routine. Considering some schools start as early as this Thursday, I thought this was the perfect time to post my 10 tips.

Tip #1:

Don't wait until the last minute to shop for your school supplies! Buy the cheap pencils and highlighters and markers now, and when back-to-school sales start, you can buy that new expensive calculator your algebra teacher wants. 

Tip #2:

If you don't already have one, it's best to get a calendar or planner to organize and plan. Once you get back into that merciless homework situation, write down your schedule, including homework, tests, project due dates, classes, events, appointments, and sports games. 

Tip #3: 

The first day of school is not the time to adjust to early wake up and sleep times. Starting the last two weeks of summer, slowly wake up earlier and earlier, each day getting closer to when you'll need to wake up during the school year. And although late-night movie marathons practically define summer, start sleeping earlier and earlier too. 

Tip #4:

Once you have to go back to studying and doing homework, pull out your earbuds and play some music to make doing your work more fun. Stay away from any music that you can sing along to, as it can end up being more distracting than motivating. I like to listen to classical music when I'm working. It's also the perfect time to brand the tunes of the songs I'm working on in my violin class into my mind, for example. 

Tip #5:

Whenever doing homework or studying leads to use of technology, it's tempting to want to check social media or YouTube. In this case, there are many web apps (like SelfControl) that allow you to temporarily block distracting websites so you can stay focused. Download one of those, and you're set!

Tip #6:

It sounds weird, but looking at images of cute animals actually improves your ability to focus. A Japanese study proved that people performed better completing tasks after they had viewed adorable pictures of animals. To ensure maximum cuteness, search "sneezing baby panda" or "hamster eating a tiny burrito." 

Tip #7:

This is a little on the unusual side too, but spraying an unfamiliar scent around your study space when you're working helps to jog your memory. 

Tip #8:

This really helped with some of my Algebra I tests. Before you take a math test, write down all of the formulas you'll be using as a reference for the test. For example, on one of the recent tests on solving quadratic equations, I made sure to jot down the quadratic formula and discriminant to look back at. 

Tip #9:

When taking notes, color code the information into sections. This helps with memorization and easy reference. For example, taking notes for a history class, I would use red to represent events, green to represent people, and yellow to represent places. So during an open-book and open-note test, if the test question asks about a person, I can look back at the green sections to easily find what's relevant to me.

Tip #10:

Reading a challenging, uninteresting book for school? Before starting the book, leave yourself gummy bears and bite-sized treats in the pages to reward and motivate yourself.

Hope these help! Bye for now!