The beginning of the school year is a good time to set your academic goals and plan on how you’re going to achieve them. Preparing early on can help you ease the stress and anxiety of your studies and allow you to work smart. Here’s more.

Set your goals

Take a look at all your subjects and set a realistic goal for each term. Be specific on how much you’d like to score in each subject so that you’ll know what you’re working towards. This will help you keep track of your progress at the end of each term, and finally, at the end of the year, you’ll know if you reached your goals.

Have a study plan

It’s never too early to create a study plan. In fact, the sooner you start going through your work, the better. Once you have your study plan, it will encourage you to start learning and by the time exams approach, you’ll have a study routine and have a good grasp of most of your school work.

Prepare your study area

Choose a spot at home where you can study with little or no disruption. This doesn’t have to be fancy or large – it can be a little corner at home where you can put a desk (if one is available to you). Studying in the same place every day can help you concentrate better.

Organise your stationery

Being as organised as possible for the upcoming school year will help you deal with back to school stress better. Getting the small (but important) things out of the way will help you focus on your studies more. That’s why I encourage you to try your best to get your stationery for the year as soon as you can.

Mind your mental health

To ensure that you function at your best this year, you need to make sure that your mental health is taken care of. Especially because we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, which can be stressful. Be aware of your feelings and if you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. You can contact me if you need someone to talk to, or you can contact one of these helplines.

The year can go by very quickly and soon enough you’ll find yourself sitting for your final exams. Make sure that you’re ready to give it your all from the beginning, so that you can reap your rewards at the end of the year.

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me a Facebook Message, a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657)