It’s the heart of summer… the last thing you want to be thinking about is the fall and returning to school. It’s easy to get caught up in Super Soaker battles, Pokémon GO adventures, or binge watching the latest season of Pretty Little Liars. Still, there are steps you can take this summer and goals you can set for the follow that will help you prepare for the upcoming year and achieve better grades.
Have Some Discipline
OK, the summer is meant for fun and staying up late. The last thing you want to do on a Tuesday morning in August is set an alarm and get up at 7:30 AM. However, in doing this you will allow your body to remain on a schedule and make the adjustment to back to school easier to achieve. The less tired you are in class, the better you can perform. Setting an alarm and getting up does not need to happen every day in the summer, but as September gets closer it will be great practice. Being up early will also allow you to enjoy even more of the summer day than if you slept until noon, so there’s always that!
Read
Reading is a great pastime that keeps your mind engaged and sharp. An obvious benefit of reading is learning new things and building your knowledge base on things you are passionate about. Keeping reading as a fun pastime will make it seem like less of a chore when you are reading about things you may not be as interested in come school time. Reading is a great way to pass time on a long summer drive or flight, or you can just catch some rays reading in your backyard or at the local park.
Maintain a healthy diet
Don’t get caught up in pizza parties and donut breakfasts! Healthy food has always been linked to academic success. Keep your body healthy all summer long by feeding yourself good brain food. Focus on the popular “superfoods” such as quinoa, kale, blueberries etc. By keeping your diet healthy, or as healthy as you can, throughout the summer you give your body the fighting chance to be fueled for the September semester!
Exercise
Exercise is the foundation for good health, and good health is an excellent aid in academic success. You will find that with increased exercise, other things will be easier to do. Getting up early is easier when your body is healthy, eating well is easier when you exercise and your level of alertness will be heightened if you exercise regularly. Start in the summer to elevate your summer fun, but also to have a routine established to ensure you continue into the school year. Exercise is easy to do and requires no equipment unless you wish to. Have fun with it!
This summer try to challenge yourself. There are many ways you can maximize your summer to help boost your grades in the fall without losing out on any fun time over the break.