Now that second semester is up to full speed you may be starting to think: how can I do better this time around?

This post explains a few small adjustments that can help you do your best this semester. These simple tweaks can transform your experience this semester!

Use a planner.

I know, I know. Planners are restricting, annoying, and feel completely unnecessary. But did you know that being organized and following a schedule can actually provide you more freedom than going with the flow?

I used to think the same as some of you: schedules are restrictive and annoying. What I came to learn however (after actually truly trying to use a planner) is that having a set schedule provided me with more control over my days.

I finally knew where my time was going and how much time each task actually took. I finally could actually see and understand how I could get everything done. Planners helped me earn good grades, get good sleep, eat meals with friends, and keep track of all the little annoying details that filled my day.

To learn more, take a look at my post on getting organized and my post on using a planner!

Rethink your sleep schedule.

You have good intentions, but getting good sleep just never seems to happen (no matter how much you try). Unfortunately having good intentions isn’t helpful if you don’t implement those good intentions.

How can you get from good intentions to good habits? Start with small steps. Your small step for the today could simply be to get to bed by midnight tonight. One day might not seem like a victory, but one day leads to another day. Before you know it, you’ll find you’re on your way to forming a good habit.

To learn more, take a look at my post on getting a fresh start second semester.

Rethink your study habits.

Studying well is a learned and practiced skill. It’s easy to be a lazy studier. It’s easier to simply finish things without doing them well. But taking the easy route usually leads to a more work later.

Second semester is the time to rethink your study habits. What didn’t work last semester? What kind of worked but still needs improvement? What did work?

You should be asking yourself all three of the above questions. If you want to be a top student, you’re going to have to really work at it and refuse to take shortcuts.

To learn more about how top students study, read this other post!

Take better notes.

Note-taking can be a difficult skill to master. As soon as you think you’ve found the best method, you find it doesn’t work in another class. Guess what? That process is normal. 

Each class covers different concepts and requires different skills, so it makes since that a one-fits-all method wouldn’t work well. Find which note-taking method helps you best capture and conquer the material.

For one class, you may need to keep it simple only using bullet points. For another class, you may need to summarize the professor’s lecture in paragraph form, forming a story or timeline of events. 

You need to find what works for you. No one else can figure it out for you, but hearing and seeing what others do may give you ideas.

To learn more about note-taking in college, read this guest post from an experienced tutor!

Second semester isn’t magically better. Your problems and struggles didn’t disappear, but you can do better this semester by applying these ideas.