Every school year we see it. The hustle and bustle, the rush, the excitement, the nerves, the sports, the clubs, our friends, and then the homework, the tests, the essays, the stress. It’s a lot to take in, the good and the bad. The tough part is, we all know the workload just gets heavier and heavier. So, what if we started to prepare now? Getting organized could be the difference between failing and passing. As teenagers, we’ve got a lot to juggle; Not only do we go to school 5 days a week, but many of us work, play sports, and have clubs to attend. These are going to be a few tips to not only manage your school work but also your personal life, to set us up for a great school year.

Getting a planner: Getting a planner can be a really easy way to keep track of everything you have to do. Sometimes you may have 5 teachers who all give you homework or tell you that you have a test the next day, and very few people are capable of remembering all that. When you have a planner, you just write it down! The best part is that the school has given everyone a free planner this year, so you don’t even have to buy one. It is easiest to fill it out as the assignments are given.

Note taking: We all have had that one teacher whose “ notes “ look more like an essay. Instead of breaking your hand to copy it all down word for word, abbreviate and summarize. Any word that is longer than four letters can usually be cut down. When you are taking your notes, it is often beneficial to briefly scan over the section being displayed to you, sometimes you can combine multiple facts into one section.

The night before: I don’t know about you guys but I certainly am not a morning person. I barely have the energy to make my coffee, so instead of trying to cram all the things I need to do in the morning, I do a lot of it the night before. The first tip is to put your clothes out the night before. Even if you are someone who doesn’t really care what they wear, it’s nice to have those extra few minutes in the morning. The second one, pack your backpack and sports bag the night before. If you push it off until right before you have to leave, you WILL forget something, and no one needs that stress. If you’re prepacked the night before, you just set it next to the door, and you’re on your way.

Homework: Although perhaps a cliché, the sooner you get your homework done the better. If you do your homework right after school, then you can relax for the rest of the night. Lucky for us, we have study hall in the cafeteria every day from 2:00-2:30, so even if you play sports, you have time. Another tip to staying on track is rewarding yourself and set a timer. If you get distracted easily, alternate between homework and something enjoyable. When you are doing your enjoyable activity, make sure that it is at most, half the time interval of how long you work, but 1/3 is recommended. We all get carried away when starting a new Netflix show, so set a timer to keep you honest. Example? Spend half an hour on homework, then ten minutes checking social media.

Dealing with stress: School is tough, and especially if you’re participating in other activities you can feel slammed, and even frustrated. It’s a good idea to make sure that stress doesn’t build up. It is really good to dedicate one night in your week (even a Saturday or Sunday) and make sure you relax and catch up with anything you’re behind on. To manage the stress during those busy times, find something quick you can do. Whether it’s a stress ball, scribbling. Deep breathing, or fidgeting with a piece of jewelry. Lastly, keeping a journal is a great way to talk about the things that might not be so easy. Your entries can be about what you did in class that day, if you’re excited about something, or if something is tough to deal with it.

Hopefully, these tips can help us all get organized, and let’s have an awesome year Coyotes!