Summer break is coming to an end and a new school year is about to begin. New school year means new classes and a new school routine to follow. It’s obvious that you’re carefully planning out the experience you want out of school if you’re reading this post.
There’s no need to feel ashamed – preparing for the new school year is smart.
You might be wondering how to be a good student while still having fun. Maybe you want to hang out with friends or start a small business to make some money. Whatever your goals are, it’s important to be ready.
To get ready for school, you need to set up some routines. Don’t worry too much about specific goals right now. Create a routine that works smoothly for you – something that doesn’t feel like a big chore.
Your routine will help you manage your time well so you can focus on your schoolwork without getting distracted.
In this post, we’ll give you some ideas on how to set up your own school routine. Just remember, adjust everything to fit what works best for you!
Prepare Your Bag
Once the new school year starts and you’re signed up for your classes, the first thing you’ll think about is, “What do I need for class?”
This is usually when your new school routine starts. You start assessing what you have, what you don’t have, what you need, etc.
If you know you need a textbook or a laptop for online assignments, make sure those are in your bag. But think about how much of the other stuff you really need for the new school year.
- Do you need pencils?
- Will you use a notebook or a computer for notes?
- What about pens?
Once you’re done assessing the school supplies you NEED to bring with you, it’s time to check what you WANT to bring with you.
If you have things like school scissors or a protractor that you know you won’t need to use often, it’s okay to leave them out. Just remember to bring them when you need to use them.
Sure, carrying only what is necessary for class and helps you study is best. However, let’s be realistic, there are times where the non-essential items for class is really a “need” for you.
These could be items such as the following:
- Medication
- Pads and Tampons
- Snacks
- External battery
- Flashdrive
Just make sure that everything can comfortably fit in your bag and won’t weigh you down more than necessary. You don’t want a heavy bag for no reason.
Think of What Kind of Person You Want To Be
Remember when I said earlier not to stress about setting a specific goal right away? Well, now that you have what you need for school in place, it’s time to think about your goals.
But don’t over think it – the goals don’t have to be too big or complicated. Just think about what is important to you right now.
Is it…
- Maintaining a good GPA so you can feel proud of your hard work?
- Trying something fun and new, like joining a club or attending school events?
- Building friendships and connecting with people?
Everyone’s reason to attend school is different. Therefore, everyone’s desired goals, experiences, and routines for themselves will be different too. That’s why it is important to identify what is important to you.
Once you have an idea of what you want for yourself, it becomes easier to focus your energy and make choices as to how to make that happen. It may even be better to anticipate possible obstacles that could come in your way in changing your routine.
Remember, this is your journey. Your goals and routines don’t need to look like anyone else’s. Once you have an idea of what you want for yourself, you can move onto the next step.
Prepare Your Clothes
Now that you’ve packed your school bag and thought about what your goals are, let’s talk about one of the easiest ways in saving time when you get ready in the morning.
Other than preparing your bag for class, planning your outfits AHEAD of time is a game changer.
It’s not just about washing, drying, and ironing your clothes the day before class. It’s also helpful to pick out what you’re GOING to wear.
Think about it. In elementary school, it was easier to get ready to go to school because either had to wear a uniform or had someone else decide what you were going to wear. You didn’t have to think about what clothes matched or which clothes looked best on you.
As you grew older, little by little, you took your appearance more seriously and started making decisions on your own.
Imagine if the shirt you wanted to wear is dirty or doesn’t look good with your pants. Then you have to decide whether to wash it quickly, wear it dirty, or find something else to wear.
By putting your outfits together ahead of time, you’re saving your mental energy on the decision day. Doing this consistently, you’ll find yourself being able to focus on the more important things in your day.
After you choose your outfits, you can hang them up together or roll them up like a burrito. If you want to see how to roll them up, you can watch this video for a simple guide.
Think of Your Morning Routine
You might believe that your morning routine is something you’ve got all figured out and you don’t need to think about it much. But that’s not always true!
A lot of times, we just go through our morning school routine without really thinking about it. We do things on “autopilot” because it’s familiar. But things can change, and you might need to adjust your routine.
Yes, we did talk about planning your clothes ahead of time in the last tip. Though, let’s be honest, you know better than just waking up, slapping on your clothes, and getting out the door is not a good or normal morning routine. That’s more of a “I need to get out of here” morning routine.
Now, let’s think more about a regular day in your life. If you can’t think of a regular day, think of a regular week:
- Do you go to school on the weekdays or do you attend a few online classes at anytime you want?
- Do you have a part-time job or other activities on the same days you’re going to school?
- Do you have time for lunch or other breaks?
Now think about how much of those days may change due to the new school year.
By thinking about everything you would do in a day—like school, work, hanging out with friends, or traveling—you can plan a morning routine that helps you be ready for everything that’s coming up.
It might be hard at first to adjust your current morning routine to fit your new school routine, but if you keep being consistent, you new routine will get easier and start to feel natural.
Now that you have your idea as to what a good morning routine looks like, you can now focus on the next tip!
Think of Your After School Routine
Just like how you go on “auto-pilot” mode in the morning, you also go on “auto-pilot” mode after you get out of school.
You have already picked out the goals you wanted to achieve and decided on a morning routine. Isn’t having an after school routine just as important as a morning routine?
Yes, yes it is. The only difference between a morning routine and an after school routine is your headspace and obligations.
In a morning routine, students usually focus on responsibilities like self-care and household chores—such as showering, eating breakfast, taking out the trash, or feeding pets—before starting their school day. After they’re done and on their way to school, they’re in the headspace in being willing to interact and learn something new.
Not often do students, particularly the new ones, have a considerable amount of time to be able to do school work before going to school.
After school, students have already spent part of their time learning and processing new information. Ideally, they would take a short break and then start their homework. In reality, it’s common for students to have obligations to work, do chores, or spend time with with loved ones.
Some are just mentally and physically drained to the point of sleeping, not in the mood to think about school until the next day.
To prevent yourself from waiting until the last minute on your class obligations and personal obligations, map out your schedule. You’ll be designing a schedule that only goes with your school schedule, but your appointed time with all of your obligations. Don’t be afraid to carve out time for yourself.
If your schedule is subject to change frequently, make sure you draft up your schedule on a weekly basis. Put down any important dates so you can prepare accordingly for those dates.
Designate a Study Space
A study space is a space to study. It’s as simple as that.
Seriously, serious students value a good study space. A good study space is a space where you can study effectively without any consistent distractions or disturbances.
This doesn’t mean that you have to study in such a secluded room that doesn’t have any windows, sounds, or people. It just means that it’s a space that wouldn’t take your attention away from what is important to you.
So pick a study space that you have consistent access to.
If you have space in your home or in your dorm, congratulations! You have a space where you can decorate and tailor everything around you.
If you don’t think you have a good study space at home, think of public places where people can work online or where you would likely see study groups happen. Try out those places.
Many students choose libraries and coffee shops as their study spaces since they know they can either get too comfortable or be disturbed often in being at home. They also know that these spaces are most likely to provide free, reliable wifi to all their patrons.
Truly, it doesn’t matter if it’s at home, in a library, or a coffee shop. As long as it’s a space that helps you get into the mood of studying and not be disturbed for at least an hour, any place could do.
Update Your Music Playlist
Although music isn’t an essential part in studying, it can definitely help aid you in getting into study mode.
Music is a valuable resource in motivating people to focus on whatever task is at hand. Key word, motivating.
Just like human emotions and headspace, music has the ability to mimic those thoughts and feelings by their lyrics and their tone. Sometimes, if you’re too into music, it can be used as a tool of distraction.
When people choose to go to places like a coffee shop to work or study, they often hear music that is controlled by the establishment. Many people are not distracted by the music since they adapted to their surroundings by either dealing with the establishment’s music or listening to their own music on their headphones.
One of the benefits in listening to an establishment’s music is that their music choice is meant to be alluring yet non-distracting to the customer.
If this benefit doesn’t appeal enough for you to listen to music that isn’t a part of your music playlist, that means you’re going to be responsible in creating a study playlist for yourself. For this playlist, you’re likely filtering out songs with catchy lyrics and songs that don’t invoke strong emotions or memories.
You can decide to create a playlist from scratch or look for other people’s music playlist to help you get into the mood to study. Just search “study playlists” on apps like YouTube or Spotify and they’ll give you a variety of playlists that you can use in your study routine.
Download Productivity Apps
Just like music, technology is meant to be a tool in a student’s study routine – but only if you use it wisely. Phones are great for staying connected, but they can also become your biggest distraction if you’re constantly checking notifications, scrolling through social media, or jumping from one app to the next.
While there’s no harm in being on the phone for 15 minutes in just checking your messages and emails, it is becoming common for people to know at least one person in their lives that just cannot focus on the big events going on.
To take control of your focus, try using productivity apps that help limit your screen time as part of your study and school routine. Apps like Forest and Focus Keeper keep you on a timer that gives you time not just to focus, but also gives you time to take breaks. If that isn’t enough, apps like Freedom, or Opal let you block certain apps or websites for a set amount of time. You get to decide how long you want to stay focused, and these apps will help keep you accountable.
If you’re interested on free productivity apps that can actually help you stay focused, study smarter, and be integral part of your school routine, click here.
If you notice your phone is pulling you in more and more, even when you know you need to focus and the apps just aren’t working for you, it might be time to consider using a “dumb phone” instead—a phone that only handles calls and texts. It may sound extreme, but some people find that going back to the basics is what they need to stay on track.
Starting a new school year is the perfect time to build a school routine that works for you. Whether it’s planning your mornings, choosing a study space, or using apps to stay focused, each step helps make your days easier. Your school routine doesn’t have to be perfect—just consistent and tailored to your goals. Stick with it and you’ll be ready to take on the year with confidence!
