Back-to-School: Get Ready

I really am excited for school!  I still can't believe school starts so soon!  Every morning I wake and think that I'm one day closer to High School.  I'm so excited.  For the past few days (or should I say weeks), I have been trying to get ready for school mentally!  So, today's post is about getting ready for school. 

Today is Day 3 of my Back-to-School Series!  (I can't believe that we are halfway through the week!)  Anyways, I want to talk to you about getting ready Mentally and Academically.

[Get Pumped: Mentally]

For the new school year, I like to do a few things to get my mind "In The Zone".  I like to make a list of things I want to accomplish in the new school year.  Whether it's "Volunteer more in the community", "Join new clubs at school", "Make as many friends as possible", etc...   One of my goals is to "Be More Confident".  I want to show off my personality more, rather than just be timid and shy in social settings.  So, I like to wake up every morning and tell myself that I'm going to be successful today.  I want to make a poster for my room with a quote I made myself.  It is: Today is a bright new day, and I am going to make the best of today.  :)

My dad recently gave me an amazing Life Lesson.  He told me to listen more to people, speakers who bring  hope and inspiration to my life rather than people, news hosts who bring anger and frustration in my life.  I realized how right he is.  Rather than focus on the negativity in my life, I need to focus more on the amazing gifts from God in my life.  It may sound like a little silly Life Lesson, but I love finding new quotes and speeches that inspire people.  I especially love searching for new quotes by famous leaders of the past.  Gandhi had created one of my favorite quotes about school and learning.

I also like to have just one mantra and one song to live by during the school year.  This year's mantra is The Smart Girls Group's signature phrase: Be Smart. Share Smarts.  I love that phrase because I think that I have so much I can learn from other people, and other people have at least one thing they can learn from me as a person.  My song, however, is a Taylor Swift song called "You Belong With Me".  I just love how upbeat and fun it is.  Plus, it has a happy ending when you think about the story behind it.  Every time I hear that song, I am totally pumped up and ready for anything!

[Get Prepped: Academically]

I haven't bought my school supplies yet!  (And it's driving me crazy!!!)  I am planning on shopping for my supplies this weekend.  (Between a big meeting, Orientation, movie date with my family, etc... I am so booked!)  But, when I do get my school supplies, I like to do a few things to prep them for school.  First of all, I think you should always label your school supplies.  I like the Avery label-sticker-thingys for label my calculator or anything with a hard surface.  But I like to take a Sharpie and label everything else.

Don't laugh, but I like to color-coordinate my notebooks, folders, binders, book covers, etc...  I did this last year, and it totally helped me.  My teachers always stressed that we should color coordinate our supplies because it's so easy to forget something you need for your homework if you don't think you need it.  They also stress the fact that you need to use your agenda.  It's no use owning an agenda if you don't use it!  Make sure to always write down any and every important date, time and event in your agenda.  (School or personal.)

Prep your backpacks!  I cannot stress that enough!!!  I probably only forgot my school agenda and everything binder once because I didn't prep my backpack the night before.  After that, I don't think it happened again.  Prepping my bag keeps me from going to school the next day scared, paranoid, frustrated, etc.. if I realize I forgot something at home.  I thought I was going to go crazy last year when I forgot my school agenda.  (Which was a big no-no at my grade school!)

I love this picture.  A teacher asked me to analyze this pictures (on the spot) when I was on a tour at my new High School.  I think it's funny!

[The Night/Week-Before Must Haves]

I like to make sure my life is in order before I go to bed every night.  It not only takes a lot off my mind, but it helps me in the morning to manage my time.  If you are in a rush in the morning, then your whole day is going to be messed up.  The Night-Before my first day of school I know I have to do a few things to be prepared for my First Day of High School.  I know I need to have my outfit for the First Day of School prepared the night before, even though I wear a uniform.  I'm very picky when it comes to the way I look; so I like things to be perfect.  So, I also like to plan out all of my outfits for the whole week.

Your body needs to get into a routine.  You will want to fall flat on your face if you aren't use to getting up early in the morning.  I always love to hear the jokes from teachers about how we all look like Zombies on the first day/first week of the new school year.  I'm nervous about not getting up early and missing the bus on the first day of school.  I sometimes even have nightmares about missing the bus because my school is so far away!

I hope this helps everyone get into a Back-to-School routine for the new school year.  Do you have a typical routine to get back into "The Swing-of-Things" for the new school year?

xoxo