It’s that time of year again! These days, we’re joining clubs and sports, dealing with back to school jitters, and navigating brand new schedules. Between homework, tests, and adjusting to new sleep schedules, the shift from summer to school can feel overwhelming. To make this switch a bit easier, here are a few things you can do right now to ease back into school.
Organize Your Email
With so many emails about clubs, sports, and new courses, your inbox may be practically exploding. It’s important to keep information like this organized, so you can find it when needed. In your free time, create inbox labels for each class or activity, delete anything you don’t need anymore, and “star” anything particularly important. To maintain this, you can make a habit out of sorting emails into their respective labels right as they come in. On Gmail, actually, you can set up “filters,” that will automatically sort email into labels immediately as they arrive. Find more about how to implement that system here. A labelling system like this will keep certain messages easy to find while saving your inbox purely for incoming or unread mail.
Get Your School Supplies In Order
Whether it’s fresh notebooks, unused erasers, or a brand new calculator, having your supplies ready for school can make the first weeks feel less stressful. Even though the first day has passed, it’s never too late to reset. If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to label your supplies and designate each notebook or folder for a class. This small step will keep you organized and prevent the possibility of losing papers in the abyss that your backpack could become.
Start Planning Your After-School Schedule
With fall sports already in full swing and with Ram Day sign-ups finished, clubs and sports are probably already consuming a huge chunk of your free time. You can mark your calendar with important dates for each activity and set reminders for any tasks you may have to complete. Planning your schedule early will make it easier to balance your activities with your schoolwork as the year continues to pick up speed. You can also build in downtime to your schedule. For example, you can schedule half an hour after school to rest before sports practice or before diving into your stack of homework.
Find A Way to Track Homework
Everyone has their own system for keeping track of their homework. Some people use paper planners, while others prefer to use their digital calendar or an app. Whatever you decide, hone in on a system that works for you and commit to it. When a teacher lists something as homework, prioritize writing it down somewhere, (anywhere!) in the moment and adding it nicely into your planner later. To keep track of due dates, you can set reminders on your phone to go off a few days before something is due. Another bonus of this system is that feeling of productivity that comes after checking something off or deleting the reminder from your list.
Begin Forging Positive Relationships With Your Teachers
The first few weeks of school are a blank slate – use it! Say hello to your teachers as you walk in and thank you as you walk out. Asking questions and engaging in the class shows that you’re interested and committed to learning. You can go into Lunch and Learn even if you don’t have a question, you can just introduce yourself! This shows you’re eager to build a relationship outside of the classroom. Building these positive connections not only makes it easier to ask for help later on, it creates the possibility for recommendations and/or leadership roles in class or in clubs down the road.
Even though going back to school can feel like a lot, doing these quick things will ensure a smooth start to the year. Organizing, planning, and building relationships will set you up for success as the year progresses. One thing you can remind yourself is that easing back into school is not a one and done thing – it’s a process. So give yourself the first month or so to shift back into “school mode.” Good luck!
