Safiye S., editor

High school can be tough, and online high school can be even harder. Over the summer, I worked to find a system that works for me, and while I was doing that, I discovered many tools, tips and tricks, and organizational systems. I’m going to share my advice for October with you.

1. Google Drive

Last year I always heard the words “Backup your work!” but I didn’t really like uploading everything on google drive; it seemed messy and unnecessary, and let me tell you I was WRONG. I lost so many essays and projects simply because I forgot to save them or because of technical issues. Instead of explaining how it works for me, I’m going to add pictures of my google drive account. It helps me stay organized, and I save any course materials or files there.  There are many ways to do this, and you can organize courses by units and not types of assignments as well.

2. Microsoft OneNote

I like writing in notebooks, and taking notes online is not for me, but I do use OneNote for Class Connect notes. It’s a lifesaver once you know how to use it correctly. If you travel or move a lot, having all of your notes online might help. There are many tools you can use, and it is similar to a real notebook.

Here are a few websites that explain how it works

Tips and tricks– https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/use-onenote-school-10-tips-students-teachers/

https://www.onenote.com/students

Back to School: How a college student gets the most out of OneNote

Guides

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2686026/microsoft-onenote-for-beginners-everything-you-need-to-know.html

3. Improve your emotional well-being

School can be hard, especially emotionally. Make sure you’re not overworking, try to take breaks whenever you need them or even take a day off if you can.

You can also try to monitor your sleep, meditate, start eating healthy, go to the gym, get fresh air. A lot of these activities help with relaxation.

Another thing you can do if you’re emotionally overwhelmed is journaling. Usually, having a diary or a journal with you when you’re in a hard situation or feeling nervous is hard, but there’s an app that can help you with that.

The app is called Jour. It reminds you to write and asks you to answer specific questions about your day. There are also many different sections like daily dream journal entries and the option to write an unsent letter to someone. I’ve struggled with anxiety my entire life, and this app really helped me stay calm in both difficult and everyday situations. Here’s the link to the app- https://withjour.com/

4. Make use of different tools

There are so many educational and productivity apps you can use. Explore them and incorporate the ones that you like into your daily routine. I use the post-it app, todoist, khan academy, Litcharts, and Desmos. You should find what works best for you! Check the app-store, look it up online, or ask a friend for recommendations. I was going to include a list of apps I recommend here, but that would have to be in a separate article because there are so many I know of.

5. Procrastination

I’m not going to tell you just to stop procrastinating because I know that it’s harder than that. Everyone has their reasons for procrastination, and it’s usually not just laziness. Perfectionism, fear, inability to focus, and lack of motivation are all common reasons for procrastination; don’t forget that there are steps you have to take,(try not to go cold turkey), try to understand how to deal with whatever leads to procrastination for you. Make a plan and slowly start eliminating any factors that contribute to those habits. If you need help with a problem like this, don’t hesitate to ask for help from your parents or teachers.

6.  Make friends

Having friends can really help whether you’re going through something tough or just want to socialize with someone who understands what online school is like. Join clubs, reach out to people and participate in activities. I’ve found that finding friends that go through the same thing as you, every day, really helps. I’m a shy person but getting over that feeling and talking to people can help with your daily life and make it more fun

This is it for this month, I really want to make this into a monthly series, and I’ll try and see if I have more ideas next month.