My plan for the school year
How I make my plans for the school year, and what I’m doing to improve it from last year
Every school year, I make a plan or schedule for how I want my morning and night routine to go, how I'm going to keep organized, and a few goals for the year.
I am a person who likes to schedule and plan pretty much everything, and I understand that making a schedule for the year may not work for other people. I also want to preface this by saying my morning routine is very extra! By no means am I saying to do all of this; I just want to. I find when I add more productivity to my morning routine, it makes me much more motivated for the school year.
When I make these plans, I notice that I am a lot more relaxed. During the school year there is always so much going on with homework, studying, working out, sports, etc. By planning, I can ensure I get the most out of each day and have time for fun! Additionally, the school day is full of uncontrollable factors, so when I write an outline for the day, it is a way for me to control what I can.
How I make my plans
I start by thinking of how I want the morning to go. Personally, I like to have tons of time before school to enjoy myself and not have to rush; the morning is my favorite time of day! I love having a quiet house all to myself to enjoy the sunrise and think through the upcoming day. Although I like to wake up early, many teenagers do not. Instead of resisting, if you succumb to it, you can change your perspective. I also like to get to school with plenty of time to spare, so I plan for that. After considering the above, I predict how long each task on my list might take and work backwards from the time I need to leave to the time I should wake up.
Here is my schedule for the year:
It’s important to remember that this schedule is self-imposed, so you are not a failure in any way if you don’t follow this routine. In my 9th grade plan, I tried to fit way too many tasks in without an actual plan of when I would fit them in, so I never got to them. That is OK because I learned from that and made adjustments! This plan is a goal to work toward, and you may need to change some of the things that are written down as you learn what works for you. It’s intended to reduce your stress level and not increase it, but make sure you give the plan enough time to soak in before eliminating something.
How I improved my schedule from last year
I improved my schedule from last year by considering the things I liked and didn’t like. For instance, last year I didn’t meditate in the morning, which is really important to me. (This was mainly because I went to a different school that is farther away, so I didn’t have much time in the mornings.) So this year, I made sure to add that into my routine. I also knew I wanted to add morning and night stretches, a morning affirmation, and nightly breathing. This is because I wanted my day to be more relaxed and include more efforts to lower my stress levels. On the other hand, there are things that I loved about last year’s plan, such as making my bed and having enough time for a leisurely morning with a quiet breakfast, so I kept these in my schedule.
Tips and tricks for a great school year
Try to make the best of your situation. I know not everyone likes to wake up early, but try to think about it as positively as you can--because it doesn’t matter if you like it or not, you will have to wake up early! Think about all the positives.
Do as much as you can ahead of time. For example, every Sunday I plan out my outfits for the entire week (the whole outfit because we’ve all had the experience of searching for the missing sock and ending up being late for school in a panic) and meal prep. The night before school, I make sure my lunch and backpack are packed and my water bottle is full.
Use your planner or agenda!! My planner is basically my life. I write everything down. It helps me to see it and then do it and then be able to cross it off.
Write things down multiple times. I like to write something down multiple times in different places. It helps me remember what I must do and think about the most efficient way I can get things done. For instance, I write my homework in my planner, then I write a more in-depth version in my notes on my computer, and then when I get home, I write it on a weekly whiteboard. This is probably overkill for many people, but I love it!