Everyone, we made it. We are officially one month through the school year! The first progress reports come out Wednesday, October 1^st and junior retreat is next week.  Time has really flown by. By now, you’ve probably all started to settle into your classes. Grades are starting to go in and you’ve adjusted to new teachers and classmates. However, you might still be adjusting to the difficulty of your classes. You might be a freshman, navigating your way through your first high school classes, or a sophomore who phased up. Maybe you’re a junior, taking your first AP class (like me!) or even a senior, trying to stay on top of college applications in addition to schoolwork and sports. I promise, I get it. I struggle and procrastinate too. So, here are 5 (tried and true) study methods to make your life easier!

1. USE. A. PLANNER! I promise you, writing stuff down is really important. I personally prefer a paper planner, but you can use a digital planner, whatever works best for you. You can’t rely solely on Prepnet. As time goes on, you’ll have more things to do, stuff that your teacher might not post- and you don’t want to miss an assignment. By writing things down, you can create a checklist and remember things better. You’ll be able to stay on top of all your assignments.
2. Use the Pomodoro technique. The pomodoro technique is a study method that has you working for a certain amount of time and then taking a break. For example, work for 25 minutes, break for 5. There are several free online pomodoro timers that can help you stay focused, like this one- https://pomofocus.io/ . This method helps you to stay on task, while also getting rest time. It’s a time management technique that keeps you going.
3. Work for five minutes. I’m a procrastinator, so I understand the appeal of scrolling and not working. However, one of the best methods I’ve found is to just work for five minutes. Although it seems like a short amount of time, you can be amazed at how much you can get done in that time span. Also, once you start, I’ve also found it’s a lot harder to quit. Give the task your undivided attention for five minutes, and you’ll find yourself wanting to continue working and just finish it. Even if you can’t find it in yourself to keep going, hey! You at least did 5 minutes.
4. Break it up into smaller chunks. Procrastination is caused by many things. One major reason is that if the task is too big and challenging, it’s easier to put it off. Therefore, if you break the task into smaller pieces, it’s easier to complete. By completing those smaller pieces, you can slowly finish the whole task. This also allows you to work over a long period of time and not save it all for the last day.
5. Study with a friend. Working with another person can be a great way to keep yourself motivated and working hard. You won’t want to slack off in front of a peer. It’s also a way to ask questions and learn from others.

With these five tricks, I know you will do great in class. Remember, you are strong and you will do great! Good luck Blazers!!