WAKE UP EARLY
Something I know, not everyone loves, but it is a really good thing to get used to. I am lucky because I am definitely a morning person so I love waking up early, however, if you are not a morning person then try and train yourself to wake up earlier. Whether that be through an alarm, natural light or going to sleep early, and with time, you can try and get up earlier and earlier until you are happy with your natural waking up time. I like to wake up between 6 and 6:30 on a school day. It gives me time to chill in bed if I want to or I can get into school a bit earlier. Either way, waking up early is really great for if you go into school early and want to be in your lessons at the time of your full concentration.
GO IN EARLY
Leading on from the previous point, getting into school early is one of my biggest tips for keeping on top of work and getting stuff done. I tend to get to school 30-40 minutes before the first bell and that gives me enough time to start a piece of homework, do some finishing touches, plan my day or even see a teacher for help. I find that when I go into school early, I am more motivated to get some work done and my concentration is pretty good too. Most people don't tend to get in early either so it can be really nice to just sit in an empty room or in the library, when it's quiet and just have some time on your own.
USE YOUR FREES
This especially applies to people in sixth form, but using your free lessons is key to not falling behind on work and even getting ahead. Everyone says it, but don't spend your frees talking to friends or fumbling around carelessly. It is okay every once in a while, we're not all perfect, but for the majority of your frees you should be trying to be as productive as possible. Even if it is just a little piece of work like correcting an essay or doing a few questions, it is something less you don't have to do when you get home. Especially if you have a lot of frees in one day, use them, get loads done, and you will really thank yourself later. For example, I use to have four frees on a Friday and only two lessons so because those two lessons were in the morning, I would have the rest of the day to get stuff done. Usually, I would have a history essay to do that week, so I would spend the first two frees planning the essay and then my last two frees writing the essay. I would be lying if I said I did always do that, but I did try to be as productive as possible, getting as much done as possible.
ALWAYS CARRY EXTRA WORK WITH YOU
I use to do this at GCSEs and I do so even more now in alevels. It goes all back to keeping up with work and getting ahead of the game. If you have a spare few minutes at registration or you have no plans for lunch and want to get on with some work, always keep a bit to do with you. Whether it be a book to read, some questions to answer, a past paper, some flashcards, anything that will make you that little bit more productive. I know that around exam season, I would always bring a pack of flashcards with me every day because if I ever got some spare time, I'd sit and go through them. I also found that in sixth form, you might go to some lessons and the teacher won't be there or they'd tell you to get on with private study and the worst thing you can do in that time is doing nothing and wishing you'd brought something with you.
MAKE REVISION CONTENT AS YOU GO ALONG
Another thing I know a lot of people regretted not doing at the end of year 12. It is so important to keep on top of your revision at alevel especially as the content is huge and you won't have time in exam season to make the content and learn the content, so you already want the revision content there. I tried my best to keep on top of revision throughout year 12 and although it began to slip at the end, I got it all done in time for my end of year exams. It makes revising easier and generally your life a whole lot easier. I know people spending their summer making revision content from year 12 because they didn't do it during the year when really, they have enough to be getting on with. Like I said before, use your frees, if you have no homework, make some flashcards on the topic you've just done, or do a past paper, make some notes, anything that would make for good revision content when you come to revise for your alevels.
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
Whether it be for an essay due or an exam in three months time, you need to plan how you are going to work up to it. You can't really get away with doing things the night before in sixth form, you need to plan. Whether that be by making lists, counting down in a diary or just making a mental note, you need to be able to plan for something in a given amount of time. Staying productive and motivated is hard but I think planning really helps because when you plan, you plan to do work, but you also plan to have breaks and other things like going out with friends. Building yourself a unique and custom plan just for you is really going to help you see everything you need to do by a given date. It can be overwhelming but take it all in your stride.
Let me know what you think of the tips I have shared in this post and if you have any more, please comment them.
Grace xx
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