Now that May has arrived, you only have about one month of school left. Spring Fever might be hitting you hard, and you probably can’t wait til summer break… But resist the urge to mentally leap from classroom to beach, and take these steps to make the most of your academic year.
Sleep. No, not during history class! Continue to make 8 hours of nightly sleep a priority, even with final exams and project due dates looming. Don’t push yourself to over-perform, because that always backfires in the long run.
Don’t procrastinate. It’s hard to stick to a study schedule with such beautiful weather inviting you outdoors. But procrastinating will only lead to stress during the last week or two of the semester. Stick to your schedule and you’ll thank yourself later.
Check up on your grades. If you aren’t sure where you stand, grade-wise, ask your teachers. Now is the time to ask for extra credit assignments, not the very last week of school!
Prioritize. Hopefully you’ll do well in all of your classes, but if you need to pull up a few grades, focus on the classes that are required for graduation, or related to your future college major.
Avoid stress. Continue with your stress management plan, if you already have one. Yes, taking a study break to engage in exercise or meditation might seem counter-intuitive, but burn-out will affect your grades far more than a half-hour break.
Use up your lunch money. If you have extra money in your lunch account, use it up! Treat yourself with an extra dessert once in a while.
Make memories. Earning high grades is definitely important, but you’ll only go to high school once. Don’t forget to take the time to make memories with your friends. Sign each other’s yearbooks, attend the school dance, meet up for coffee during study breaks, and go out on a limb to meet someone new. Grab phone numbers or email addresses from those kids you talk with sometimes, but don’t really know well. You might find yourself hanging out with a fun new friend this summer.