This is the second article I will be making in this series. And that is all about the organisation.You may have heard of the quote ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Organisation is you planning out your life and clearing out your environment around you. Feeling peaceful, right? In today’s article, I will be discussing this so here are my 10 tips:

1. Keep two different planners.

Now you may be scratching your head wondering: WHY? Well, I recommend having one planner only from school where you write down all your homeworks. And then when you come home, incorporate those homeworks into your second planner which is for life. My homework planner was given by school while my life planner is my trusty bullet journal! Check out more about this here.

2. You don’t need to do back to school shopping.

This might sound very controversial bearing in mind that there are thousands of posts all about this. What I mean is you should not buy unnecessary stationery that will not help you, that your school does not require you to buy or just to make everything look Instagrammable. Focus on it being practical rather than pretty.

3. Have the essential stationery in your pencil case.

Your pencil case should contain the essential stationery. This is what you take to school. Try to also go through this pencil case weekly to avoid clutter and to replace any stationery that may get lost. 

4. Don’t be afraid to say no.

This one is for all those people-pleasers out there. You may feel guilty if you say no to your friend who asked you to use your glue stick for the sixth time this week. But the more you keep letting people use up your items, the more people will keep doing it. If you realise you are wasting money buying new stationery too often, it may be time to say no to your friends who ask for your stationery.

5. Pack your bag and tidy up your uniform the night before.

This habit is one that I stuck to from Year 7 all the way to Year 11. This saves you energy in the morning, prevents you from getting late, makes you organised and can sometimes even save you from detentions.

6. Keep your notebooks neat.

I am sure that a lot of people go through that phase where they keep stuffing worksheets in their Math book telling themselves they will stick it in ‘later’. Later never comes and they end up with a thick notebook with disorganised sheets and you may find your science worksheet in your RE notebook. To prevent your documents from getting everywhere, keep them organised by putting them in a pocket/wallet or folder or maybe sticking them into your notebook.

7. Tidy up your room every night.

This is one that many people hate to do but if you want to save yourself from procrastination, unnecessary stress, demotivation and laziness, just do it. 

8. Have your own study space.

This is crucial to differentiate between study and play. Having one designated space for your studies allows you to keep all your school things in one place so when you get ready to work, you have everything in one place. If you don’t have a desk, you could also make a study caddy that you have with you when you are ready to study.

9. Create a routine.

You may need to wait until you get your timetable but having a general outline for the morning and the evening allows you to stay productive and reduce your decision fatigue. 

10. Have a digital declutter every now and then.

It is very easy to forget about your devices when organising but remember that we spend many hours on these phones and laptops. Check your emails (personal and school) regularly and delete those that are not needed. Do the same for your photos in your phone gallery. Also, delete apps that you don’t need.

That was my article all about how to keep organised. Organisation is a crucial part of school life as it will help you to feel put together. Please share this article with anyone who is going back to school or is in secondary school!

And look out for the next article on this series. You can stay updated by subscribing to my weekly newsletter for free. 

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

This is the first article I will be making in this series. And that is all about…FRIENDSHIPS! Making friends, especially in a new big school in Year 7, can be quite tough. It is also really important to make a good group of friends who will support and look out for you because one of the biggest influences of you growing up is the company you stay with. So here are my 10 tips that helped me to make good friends:

1. Don’t be afraid to speak up.

When starting school, you may meet many new faces and everyone may be shy. Don’t be afraid to be the first person to initiate a conversation with anyone. That person will thank you for it because otherwise they would have had to make the first move which can be difficult.

2. Know your boundaries.

This is so important! When I went through my first toxic friendship in Year 7, I realised the importance of speaking up. If you ever feel uncomfortable, whether it’s because your friends are cracking an offensive joke, or even if they are forcing you to go out, learn to speak up and tell them. You have control over your life!

3. Be kind and be yourself.

We all change throughout secondary school. But don’t let these changes be dictated by your friends. Be your authentic self because if you accept yourself the way you are, the right people will accept you too and you will end up having a great time. Also, kindness melts anyone’s heart, so be kind and if people don’t like that, they are not meant for you.

4. Don’t share everything with your friends.

This may be the most important tip! One of the biggest regrets of many teenagers (especially girls), is that they shared their deepest darkest secrets to their best friends and the next second, it is the latest gossip for the whole school. Even if it is your best friend in school, I still recommend keeping some things private because you can never predict what will happen. You may save yourself from a lot of embarrassment and unnecessary drama. 

5. It is okay to change friends.

When I was in Year 7, I had this misconception that the friends I would make in Year 7 would stay with me throughout the whole 5 years. Little did I know that I would end up going through a toxic friendship, move schools and make a whole new set of friends in another borough! It is okay to think like this but also if you feel that your friends are not making you feel good, it is okay to change them!

6. Learn to be independent.

Many people are also afraid of staying by themselves in the playground, as they are deemed to be lonely. Let me tell you loud and clear: staying by yourself does NOT make you lonely. It teaches you independence sometimes. You don’t need to force yourself to be glued to your friends and it is okay to sometimes study/stay by yourself.

7. Meet friends outside of school safely.

As you grow older, you may be allowed by your parents to go out with your friends. I have a group chat with my friends and we sometimes arrange trips together and then we have a girls’ day out! Obviously, remember to tell your parents before going out with your friends, and stay safe!

8. Never text secrets or beef by text.

This is yet another important one. People screenshotting texts and sending them to others is totally a thing. So if you do have something private to tell someone or you have to resolve an argument, do it in person.

9. Have common interests.

Common interests are a great way to connect with people. If you are struggling to make friends, common interests are the way to start a conversation. And if you and your friend have no common interests, your school and subjects you study are of common interest! Talk about them.

10. Make friends from different places.

You don’t need to restrict yourself to only making friends in school…you can also make friends in your local community, your parents’ friends’ children, in clubs and extracurriculars or even your neighbours!

That was my article about friendships! I hope you have enjoyed this article! Remember that you will be fine and it is both okay to have friends and to also not have any friends at all!

Please share this article with anyone you know who goes to secondary school. And look out for the next article on this series. You can stay updated by subscribing to my weekly newsletter for free. 

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know

If you live in an international country, you may have to move to a new school and make new friends and if you live in the UK, you have to start your GCSEs. Nonetheless, you want to get prepared and as I am a 15-year-old teenager who has just finished Year 10 in a pandemic, I think I am in a good position to tell you some tips on Year 10. Take the tips with a pinch of salt and at your own will.

Try to make notes or revision material as you go along.

Some people may underestimate Year 10 and think that they can just take all their notes and only revise in the last month of Year 11. This is too much pressure and stress. So especially if you have started your GCSE curriculum in school already, please start making notes, flashcards, mindmaps or whatever works for you from day 1.

Have other side projects.

A lot of teenagers say that ‘they don’t have enough time’. That is wrong as everyone has the same 24 hours in a day but it’s all about how you use it. Have extracurricular activities inside or outside of school or make your own platform such as a website. This will help build time management skills but also look good in your personal statement for college.

Keep on top of your work.

This links to my first point but keeping on top of your work meaning doing your homework and revision on time saves a lot of energy, time and unnecessary stress. Make sure to write down all your homework in a planner.

Make to-do lists every day.

Speaking of writing your homework in your planner, have a planning system that works for you and make to-do lists every day.

Don’t get involved in arguments/fights.

However juicy that argument between Susan and Chanelle may be, it’s just not worth your time and stress. The drama may be tempting to join but the cons are much higher than the pros so stay out of the drama.

Have a good support system.

This is extremely important especially as a teenager entering a new confusing phase of your life. Please have someone in your life who will guide and help you out. Avoid this person being a friend at school but instead make a teacher, counsellor, parent or older sibling your mentor.

Be yourself. 

Peer pressure can get high in secondary school but stick to your own values and the ones that will make you and your loved ones proud. If you don’t want to listen to music because of your religion, don’t listen to it. If you don’t want to go out late at night, then don’t.

Learn how to deal with stress.

Stress may be something that you see in these crucial years but please learn how to deal with it. Whether it’s telling someone how you are feeling, writing it down or taking a break, learn how to deal with it.

Learn from your corrections.

If you get a bad score in your exam paper or if you have committed a mistake, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just learn from the corrections, have the intention not to repeat the same mistake again and move on. 

Stay healthy.

Many teenagers end up having wings and chips every day and then feeling tired and low afterwards. Every now and then, you can treat yourself, but please try to avoid unhealthy foods. With that being said, it also does not mean that you have to go on 20 different diets if it is not needed. Just make sure you exercise regularly and eat well.

Those were my top ten tips to survive freshman year of high school and Year 10. Comment down below which year of high school will you be going to. Please share this article with any of your secondary school friends. 

Please surf through my website for more related articles.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!