The start of the new term presents a new challenge for students: getting back into 'the swing of things'. Currently many students, including myself, feel that they are being overloaded with work, with strict deadlines and without the full support usually provided by teachers in lessons. However, there are ways to combat these challenges as I have learned over recent weeks.
Abiding to a routine is one way about it, something which has brought some students a bit of comfort, as advice from teachers re-iterate the importance of sticking to a schedule. Personally, I found creating an 'ideal timetable' a way to overcome this challenge, this meant a schedule of doing things when it suits me best but also includes the lessons that I would have, when I have them. Ensuring a productive day also means keeping your workspace tidy, as it makes getting work done so much simpler, a solid system or way of organising things that works for you really helps. To-do lists are also another effective way of structuring your day, especially if used with incentives, as a friend of mine, Kayley Tulk recommended 'I find writing a to-do list of stuff I want to get done helps, and going for a run.'
Keep active and keep doing the things you love! This is another piece of advice that has really helped me. Once you have structured your day and become more organized, you might find that you have more time to do things for you, but if you still feel overwhelmed it is still important to find some time to de-stress. It is this extra time which becomes an incentive, fuelling your motivation and allowing you to recognise the efforts you have put into a hard day's work. This might include cycling, workouts and runs and even reading a book- or most importantly spending time with friends and family, a vital lesson this pandemic has no doubt taught us.
Finally, students also face the challenge of isolation and loneliness- not being able to socialise or receive lessons face-to-face is difficult. Therefore, it is important that we continue to stay connected to friends and family as well as 'keeping in touch with teachers and people in your lessons' says student Henry Clarke. Remember that teachers are an excellent port of call and are willing to help, despite the workload set, and studying with friends is a great way to share ideas and help each other out with certain topics you might challenging. Thanks to Facetime, I am able to catch up with friends weekly and sometimes even study with them- in this aspect technology makes our lives that little bit easier. But if it is a chilled film night you're after I would recommend Netflix Party!
Although these things might seem simple and overstated, they are worth it. This time is such a learning curve for us all as there are valuable lessons to be learned – and not just school wise.
