Iowa FFA Blogs: How to Successfully End the School Year

With the school year coming to a close stress levels can be pretty high. Schedules get busy with projects, homework, finals, Prom, and yes, State FFA Convention but the closer summer gets the less you want to do… am I right? Sadly, summer isn’t going to come any faster if we stop trying our best and ride the school year out doing little to nothing. So… here are of few T.I.P.S (Transitioning Into the Perfect Summer) to help you successfully end the year on top!

1. Prioritize & Organize like Crazy

Two things everyone needs to learn how to do: Prioritize. Organize. The faster and easier each of us learn to do this two things in ways that fit our personality the easier life will be. When it comes to prioritizing and the end of the year its best to look at dates in my opinion. What needs to be done first? Is this project going to take more time than anything else I have to do? For me, a planner has always been the best way for me to prioritize what needs to get done when but that doesn’t always work for everyone. Some other T.I.P.S I’ve learned over the years include –

· Texting Yourself Reminders/Notes: remember you have to do something? Text it to yourself and don’t open the message. If you’re (not) like me seeing that you have messages to answer with bother the living daylights out of you. By checking the message finally your reminded of what you need to do.

· To Do Lists OR To Do Charts: Almost everyone has made a to do list at one point in their life right? What about To Do Charts though? Making a chart listing off classes or activities that you have to do and then breaking down the work you have into smaller sections makes things seem less taunting and gives you the excitement and added push to finish each item every time you cross one off.

These are only two ideas for getting your busy life in order. Try them out, figure out what you need in order to stay on top of things. Whether its texting yourself, writing in a planner or creating a To Do Chart the more effort you put into keeping your schedule and work load in order the easier it will be to get it all done and done on time.

Example TO DO CHARTS:

2. Know where you stand BEFORE you take the final

As the school year comes to a close final grades are put in and the fate of our GPAs and report cards are determined. Now not everyone is the master of all trades when it comes to certain classes so well some grades may not be greatest there is still the potential to succeed! It may seem like more work but taking a good look at your grades and figuring out what you need to score on your final project or test in order to receive the best grade is so worth it. For example, say you are the master of all things English and no matter how bad you tank your final English test you will still have an A then maybe it’s best to really focus on studying for that Algebra 2 test that you need at least an 85% on to boost your grade from a C to a B. Looking at your grades from that perspective will help give put what your final grades will look like in perspective even before you they are in the grade book. *Note: I am not telling you to fail your English exam! Always try your best… these are just T.I.P.S

3. Take Care of Y.O.U

These are pretty much the basics that everyone and I mean EVERYONE says we need to do but quite frankly most of us fail to do.

EAT: Everyone loves food, right? I know I do but when we get stressed out or busy how many of us really remember to take care of ourselves and eat? Throughout this year and my high school experience I learned that an empty stomach doesn’t help with focusing and doing your best on anything.

STAY HYDRATED: Staying hydrating will help you stay awake and doing your best in everything you do. Keeping a water bottle close is a necessity!

SLEEP: When I get super stressed out and busy I never seem to get enough sleep which is NOT a good thing. It may seem like a good idea to cram all night for a test but in reality, nothing is gained by not resting your brain. When I was younger was stressing about not feeling prepared for a test, quiz, etc. my dad always told me to sleep on it. Literally. He would have me put my book and notes under my pillow and tell me to review what I knew or what I needed to know in my head until I feel asleep. (I think it’s called osmosis.) I don’t know if it can be scientifically proven but it seemed to work for me so take it for what you think it’s worth.

4. De-Stress to do your BEST

This may seem completely contradictory to what you think you should do but at some point, when your super stressed and busy the best thing to do is to walk away. Do something fun for you. Certain people won’t understand it and that’s okay. Take a break… a nap, watch some Netflix (just don’t get sucked in #guilty), anything you like to do just to relax and step away from all the work you have to do. For me, I’ve found it helpful to work towards a goal and prioritize my de-stress time. If you know me you know I LOVE to ice skate. So… on Wednesdays no matter if I still have some work I haven’t finished I take the time to head to Ames and skate for two hours. Doing something that makes me happy and takes my mind off of everything that I have to do helps me feel better about myself and helps me focus on my work once I get back. What would your de-stressor be? Trust me, it’s important to have one.

5. Random Study Tips from Carl(i)…

· Be a Newscaster:

Now… this may sound crazy but it works for me so if that means I’m crazy I’ll save you the time and just agree with you there. All you need is a mirror, your notes, past tests or your project, and the best newscaster voice you can muster. Its rather simple. Simply read the notes to yourself as you look yourself in the eye in the mirror. Of course, don’t just read off the notes like they are written instead find a way to say them as if you were actually telling someone about them in order to inform them on the subject. I’ve found that the funnier or more serious you get into it (depends on your personality) the easier it is to remember what you reviewed when it comes to actually taking the test or giving the presentation.

· Have a Conversation with yourself:

Did you know that people who talk to themselves are found to be scientifically smarter than people who don’t? If that’s true than I must be a genius! Going over what you need to know out loud either in front of a mirror or in the car (don’t study and drive) can help you to remember things.

· Mnemonic Devices are EFFORT…

E asy to remember

F un to come up with

F or real though… isn’t this fun!

O r not… it depends on who you are as a person

R eally an easy way to help you remember large amounts of information!

T ricky to come up with at times but so helpful when you do!

Using acronyms and coming up with sayings are great ways to help you remember important information. For me, I’d always review mine right before going into the test and then they would be the first thing I wrote on the top of my paper. That way I’d already have them down and out of my head so I could really focus on the test as a whole.

Don’t let this be you…