The end of the first marking period has passed! Some of us may have rocked the first quarter, while others may have been overwhelmed by the amount of work at the start of the school year. There are still three more quarters left of the school year, and it will continue to get harder! The best way to keep up with work and even get ahead is to find the best strategy for you. This can range from organization to study methods. Finding a productive strategy that works best with your time and learning style will ultimately make or break your grades for this school year. What are some of these strategies, and how do I know which is best for me?

The most common strategy used amongst high school students, and even adults, is a planner. An organized planner can be on paper or digital, depending on what style will fit you best. The best way to maximize the effectiveness of this tool is to have quick access to the planner and write down tasks such as homework, tests, and assignments as soon as you receive them. Including the due date is one of the most important parts! If you plan out projects, write down which days you will spend doing the project to avoid procrastination. The first benefit of the planner is that writing down information will help you to remember it much better, which is a benefit that comes more with a paper planner. Having all your assignments written down will be there whenever you need to refer to them so that you won’t forget any assignments. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you will have all your assignments done and missing work won’t be a problem! This strategy is best for those who tend to be forgetful or have a lot of assignments that can be overwhelming. 

If a planner isn’t for you, or you don’t have a hard time remembering to do assignments, a study method may be better for you. If you find yourself lacking in test scores and don’t know how to absorb the material you learn, try to find a study hack that works best for your learning style. A hack that will help you memorize is rewriting or notecards. This comes in handy when you are taking a lecture-style class with a lot of notes, usually focusing on terms and concepts. It is proven that handwriting information will help you remember it better, so writing down notes twice will ensure a better chance of recalling information. If you are in a class with a lot of terms and vocab, writing down notecards and quizzing yourself, or having someone else quiz you, will help with remembering and recalling information. If you have a hard time sitting still and studying for a long time or get distracted easily, try these tips. The first is to lock your phone away in another room to avoid wanting to grab it or use it. In turn, taking 5-minute breaks in 15-minute intervals is a great way to keep yourself focused and tuned into your work. When taking the 5-minute breaks, don’t go on your phone! This could result in taking longer breaks than you planned. If you want to be even better at studying, combine these methods for the most effective results.