The month of September is universally known as the most dreaded among high schoolers. For July and August, students spend their carefree days pushing all notions of September out of their minds until, suddenly, it is the last week of August and all that incomplete summer work comes back to haunt us. At first the idea of work seems foreign and it feels weird to pick up a pencil, but all students must eventually get back into the swing of things. In order to try to make this transition a little easier, The Rebellion has gathered a list of tips that work not only in September, but all year to help make getting through school days a little easier.

Breakfast:

  During the summer, teenagers can get into the habit of rolling up to Dunkin every day at 11 a.m.; however, during the school year, the morning hours are spent rushing around to get ready and sometimes even finishing up last night’s homework. A trip to our favorite donut shop is simply not practical, but it is still crucial to fit in a breakfast to fuel your day. Try prepping the night before (see the Rebellions guide to breakfasts) or even just grab a granola bar on your way out the door to make sure you eat something.

Waking Up:

  It is no secret that during the summer teenagers take full advantage of that extra sleeping time in the morning. 6:00 a.m. quickly turns into 10:00, 10:30, 11:00—which, come September, can make getting accustomed to early school mornings a tough transition. To make the jump from 10:00 to 6:00 at least a little bit easier, use some of these helpful tips:

1. Start your homework right when you get home from school: it can be a pain getting right to work after practice or a long school day, but your sleep schedule will thank you later.
2. DON’T take that after school nap—it will throw off your whole sleep schedule and keep you up later.
3. The next tip is important: once you get in bed, (hopefully earlier than you normally do because your homework is done) LEAVE YOUR PHONE DOWNSTAIRS. Honestly, whether it is across the room on your desk or plugged into the hallway outlet, do NOT leave your phone right next to your bedside table—it is simply too tempting. Plus, the blue-light glowing from your screen keeps your brain awake even after you put it down.
4. Some mornings, it is inevitable that you will still be tired…so, you might want to start brewing some coffee the night before to grab and go in the morning.

Time Management:

  Throughout the summer, it is easy to forget about responsibilities and just live on your own time; however, when school re-enters our lives and various assignments start flooding in, it is hard to find a happy medium between the amount of time spent studying and the amount of time spent sleeping (and of course nobody can forget the time you need to dedicate to binging your favorite Netflix show). When you get home for school, try to block off your time for each thing you want to get done by 3:00, 4:00, etc…even setting timers on your phone can help. With this method, you can be sure to complete your homework or sneak in a quick workout before diving back into Netflix.

Clothes:

  When you roll out of the bed on a summer morning with no plans for the day, the ideal option is to throw on some athletic shorts and a t-shirt, or better yet just stay in your pajamas; however, sporting this look every day throughout the school year may not be the best idea. To help get yourself back into the swing of actually looking presentable every day, try laying out an outfit the night before. I know, it seems tedious, but it will allow you that extra sleep in the morning instead of panicking when you have nothing to wear.

  As great as the summer is, all students have to go back to school eventually. The transition is never an easy one, but after time, it becomes routine. Until that point where school actually starts to feel like school again, these helpful guidelines will aid you in returning to that academic mindset (at least for now).