| Time management will save your life.
I had a really hard time with this beginning of my junior year. I was put in a living situation with 11 other people in a relatively small home, and I found it really hard to focus. It hurt my GPA, but I think I've become a better student because I was forced to learn how to focus and manage my time.
For a few months, I would actually schedule my time at home. I would write down my schedule, planning my entire day hour by hour. It was really hard to adjust to, but once I had written my schedule down I was determined to follow it. Obviously, sometimes you finish something early so you move up your schedule, and I would always leave extra time at the end to finish up anything I didn't have time to do.
Now that I've become more accustomed to sitting down and doing my work without getting too distracted, I don't usually need the schedule (but on really busy days, sometimes I'll still do it).
As far as projects/essays go, definitely at least start THINKING about what you're going to do well ahead of time. Even if you don't start doing the actual work until later on, thinking about it will get your juices flowing, so to speak.
I also take notes in class, and take the time to review my notes everyday, or at the end of each week (depending on the amount of notes per day). It may seem a little silly to go over it, since you JUST wrote it but I found that I would remember details much better.
Highlighters, post-its, and planners are my best friends. Actively reading almost forces me to pay closer attention to the text, post-its are awesome for remembering small details, and writing deadlines ahead of time will make your life simpler.
You basically have to create good study habits, and reinforce that behavior until it becomes natural. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you need anything! |