12 Must Have Habits
High school is a hard time for almost everyone. Whether it’s having trouble fitting in, managing time well, or even finishing all the homework that is toppled onto our plates, it can be very challenging.
Stay Organized / Keep a planner up to date with all that is going on in your life- The best way to start off your high school career is to be as organized as you possibly can be. It is much easier to start off your year organized than to try and organize a gigantic mess in the middle of the year. This includes having somewhere to write down everything you have to get done in the day.
Sort your priorities in order of importance- Having a ton of things you need to get done can get really stressful sometimes, so a good habit to have to get around that is to sort everything in in order of importance. If you have an essay due tomorrow it should take priority over studying for a math quiz you have next week. Take a list of everything you have to get done and go down it marking it on a scale of priority from 1-5 to take some of that stress off.
Ask for help when you need it- One major problem most students run into at some point in their school career is not asking for help when they need it. By asking for help when you need it, you can get way more stuff done without wasting too much time trying to figure it out 100% by yourself.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions- The whole point of going to school is to learn, and that can’t happen in no one asks questions. If you don’t understand how a teacher got to a certain conclusion, feel free to ask them to explain it again. More often than not, they will be happy to help make sure you learn as much as you can.
Don’t waste this experience, be attentive and listen- One really good habit to have is to actually just listen to what your teacher is saying. It should go without saying, but it is much more difficult to learn in you don’t spend your time really taking in the information your teacher is giving you.
Get involved outside of classes- Another good habit is to not focus solely on your classes. Join a club, sport, or anything else outside of class to get more involved. By getting involved you can meet more people and the more people you meet the bigger your support system will be for whenever you need it.
Figure out what way you learn best- Spend a week or two at the beginning of every term to figure out how you learn best in a certain subject, whether that is by studying every day or taking notes in a different way, find out what works best for you and your brain.
Find out when you are most productive and do as much as you can at that time- Along with finding out what way you learn best, try and spend some time figuring out what time you learn best and are most productive. Once you figure out what time you are most productive, try and do as much as you can in this time to make the most of the time you have.
Spend time with people that can help your learning not hinder it- It is good to have friends that you love to joke around and goof off with, but when it comes to school, it is best to have people around you that help you learn not the other way around. Surround yourself with people that share similar goals to you and can help you through your high school experience.
Divide what you have to do into simple tasks / Focus on one thing at a time, try not to multitask- Another great way to make the best of your high school experience is to divide and conquer everything you have to get done. Start off with a list of everything you have to do and try to split it into simple tasks that you could easily complete. When doing this also make sure your focus on just one task at a time instead of jumping around all over the place because that would only end in chaos.
Reward yourself once you complete something, within moderation- Once you complete a bigger task feel free to reward yourself for your hard work, but don’t go crazy with the rewards, just reward yourself enough to get motivated to succeed
Leave time for fun, don't over work yourself- The most important habit to have in high school is to put your mental health first. Wanting to get good grades is great, but once it starts to be detrimental to your health that is not healthy. Focus on finding ways to relax, along with was to get the grades you want.
Let us know if any of this good habits have been working for you, @thebrightonian on Instagram!