As we are nearing the end of the school year, I know everyone is getting drowsy. Towards the fourth quarter, most of us are done with school and are just ready for summer to start. Even though you are ready for it to be summer, you still want to make sure that your grades don’t drop. So, I am here to give you some tips about how to survive the 4th quarter. So, without further adieu, lets get started.

The first tip is to, maintain a planner. This will help you plan ahead so that you know what you need to do and when. It will also help you to follow a schedule of what you have to do, enhance your productivity, and manage your stress levels.

Here is some advice from Kynslee White, a GBHS senior, “Don’t give up. Keep persisting through it.”

Know when to give yourself a break. Taking a break from your school work will help reduce stress and give your brain time to process the information.  It will also increase your ability to focus on the task at hand. So, if you feel yourself start to lose focus, take a break. This break can be anywhere from 5-60 minutes. The important thing is to remember to get back to studying after your break.

Explore different study spaces. Knowing what study space works for you will help you study easier. It will help you be able to get your work done without distractions. Some great places to try out would be: the library, your room, outside, etc. You just want to find an area that works for your needs.

You want to know what your goals are so that you can work to achieve those goals. If you don’t have a goal then you wont know what you are working towards for the end of the year. Goals will help you maintain your focus and keep the momentum that you had at the beginning of the school year.

Have Fun. While it is still important to get all of your school work done, you need to give your mind a break and just have fun. Whether that be by playing video games, hanging out with friends, watching TV, or hanging out outside.

Kevin Gonzales, a GBHS senior, has some advice for you as well. “Make sure to balance homework and personal life/fun evenly. Lean to much to one side and you will fail.”

You also want to make sure that you are getting enough sleep. Sleep is an  important process to learning. It can help you stay focused, improve concentration and it could help you improve your academic performance. It can also help reduce stress and improve your mood.

Talk to your teachers. If you are falling behind in class or you are just not understanding the subject, talk to your teachers. They will be able to help you. Whether it be with understanding the course work, helping you on the homework, or showing you different ways that you can accomplish studying, they will be able to help you.

Now that you have read this article, I hope that you can learn some new ways to stay focused at the end of the year.