It’s the start of the new year. Do you have any new year’s resolution ideas or plans for this upcoming year?
Are you struggling to get better grades, but having difficulty reaching there?
No worries as I will guide you through several methods and approaches to becoming a straight-A student.
But… you have to be with me here and focus on the tips.
To make this into a fun activity, you can consider this as a countdown to the new year. You can start in the middle of December and try to accomplish one of these tasks each day until the new year.
Go through these new year’s resolution hacks to get closer to the grades you want.
This post is all about new year’s resolution ideas to become a straight-a student.
New Year’s Resolution Ideas to Become a Straight-A Student
1. Plan it Out
Photo by Bich Tran
This is the perfect time to get a planner and a desk calendar if you don’t already have one.
Jot down every single commitment that you have and label them with different colors.
An example is:
- Orange = School-related tasks
- Pink = Dentist/Doctor’s appointments
- Blue = Family-related events
- Purple = Friend-related activities
- Green = Work
- Red = Extracurriculars/Clubs
You can play around with which colors go with which event and add in or take out colors depending on your personal preference.
Then, make sure you also create a digital copy in Google calendars or any app.
A key tip that I recommend if you are a huge procrastinator is to mess with the deadlines.
Instead of writing the actual deadlines, scoot the due date a few days ahead so you will be pressured to work on it earlier.
However, I recommend having a friend do this step as you might think oh since I scooted the deadlines a couple of days early, I probably have more time.
Your friend can change the deadline two to five days ahead of the actual deadline, but you won’t know how much they changed it.
This way you will be more likely to finish your tasks ahead of time and not have to rush at the last minute.
The more organized and accountable you can be with a calendar system, the better you will be at accomplishing your school tasks.
Do you need recommendations on what study supplies to get? Check out Best 11th Grade School Supplies That You Need for a Successful Year.
2. Big Clean-out
I love doing this ritual where I do a big cleaning before the new year.
Grab a large trash bag and just get rid of all the clutter, trash, and dust in your room.
You want to sort through ALL your papers, files, and binders of your school papers. Make sure to shred anything that has your personal information on it.
If there are a lot of worksheets that are printed on one side, you can reuse the other side as scratch paper. Save the trees and environment by reusing paper.
If you have papers and notes that you are unsure of what to do, my rule of thumb is to save them for at least a year.
Your past papers may help you when you go to the next grade level or class. I did save all my high school papers and got rid of them after high school graduation.
You never know what you need or don’t need, but try to get rid of anything that is not useful.
The process of going through your past papers and notes will also help you refresh your memory on what you learned this past semester or quarter.
A cleaner workspace will also motivate you to do your school work.
I love going on to Pinterest or YouTube to search for bedroom study space ideas and the setups always motivate me to clean my room.
If you have trouble starting you can browse like three clean my room videos, watch a few Pinterest motivation pins, and play some music to get into the mood. Just make sure you don’t get too carried away with browsing videos.
3. Mistake Collection
This is a great time to gather all your quizzes, tests, and homework papers into a file.
Then, check all the problems that you missed and make sure you know how to do them.
You can grab the scratch paper that you organized before to solve the problems. After you figure it out and the process to get to the correct answer, you want to save it with your quizzes and tests.
Make sure you understand what problems you missed, why you missed them, and if you actually know how to do them or if you forgot.
This way you can categorize your papers and problems and figure out what you need to work on.
It’s especially beneficial to do this as frequently as you can because once you let them pile up, it can pull you behind.
4. File Organization
If you haven’t been doing this, make sure you set up a file system on your laptop or computer.
An example could be:
- High School
- Freshman
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Sophomore
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Junior
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Senior
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Freshman
- College
- Freshman (for the quarter system)
- Fall Quarter
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Winter Quarter
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Spring Quarter
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Fall Quarter
- Sophomore (for semester system)
- Semester 1
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Semester 2
- Class 1
- Class 2
- Class 3
- Etc.
- Semester 1
- Freshman (for the quarter system)
You could start with the main folder as middle school/high school/college or use year. Then within that folder, you can break it down into class levels and which classes you had within each folder.
For college, I provided an example of the quarter system organization under freshman year and an example of the semester system under sophomore year of college.
You can adjust it based on what works best for you.
Within each class folder, you can store everything related to that class like worksheets, syllabus, and paperwork.
Try to also sort your documents and docs in your google drive. Label a folder for each class and save docs to their corresponding folders.
The sooner you start doing this, the more time you will save when looking for papers or docs and quickly accessing them.
It is also great for studying or revising drafts to see how much you improved.
5. Workout Study Session
Photo by Anete Lusina
Create a schedule to get in the habit of studying but in the form of workouts.
Start with 10 minutes of daily review for the first week, then upgrade it to 20 minutes, and so on.
Once you reach your target goal, like say one or two hours, you can keep it there without adjusting any time.
Approach studying like doing workouts and start small before building up on it.
You can also set rest and break days where you don’t study and work on a different activity.
During your study sessions, make sure there are no distractions, you are in a productive workspace, and have an idea of what you will be working on.
You can preplan what you need to study by focusing on one subject each day.
Do not overload your schedule with a bunch of different subjects in one day. Instead, start with a subject you need to work on or have a quiz/test coming up.
6. Mega Productive Day
Another new year’s resolution you can set is to make a mega productive day as part of your routine.
This is when you set up a special day each week where you head to the library, a coffee shop, or anywhere where you feel the MOST productive.
Then pack your bag with all your study materials, a few snacks, and a bottle of water.
Spend half your day or however much time you have to just get work done.
It can be any form of work from homework that is due next week, reading that you need to catch up on or start, or studying for any classes.
You should get into the habit of planning a day each week so at least 4-5 days per month where you solely finish work.
This helps you keep up on any work that you are behind on and get ahead on any work that you can do now.
7. Accountability Buddy
Photo by cottonbro studio
As I previously mentioned in another post, having an accountability buddy will help you be more productive.
Make sure you find a friend who will be able to accompany you to the library or a coffee shop to get work done.
You can pick someone different for each week, but make sure that the both of you don’t get distracted by chatting or talking.
If you want to try studying at home but want an accountability buddy, you can open up Zoom or video conference through Discord.
The goal is to keep you productive, so if an accountability buddy is not working out, you can always try different methods.
8. Pre-Learn Before Class
If your teacher or professor ever puts up lecture slides or reading before class, make sure to go through them ahead of time.
This way you will have a general understanding of what the lesson will be about.
You will also be able to jot down any notes beforehand and circle any questions that you have about the material.
Then once class starts, you won’t be as lost and will be able to take better notes since you already prepared beforehand.
You can also review the material after class and organize your notes so you get a better understanding.
It is also a great idea to refresh your memory with your notes and review them so you are constantly practicing the material.
Want to read more about posts like new year’s resolution ideas? Check out 17+ Jaw-Dropping Life Hacks for Students.
9. Task Checklist
Photo by Polina Kovaleva
Having checklists and to-do lists for me keeps me more motivated than ever.
I love keeping a small checklist where I have three to five tasks that I should accomplish that day. Then when I finish them, I check them off and feel a sense of satisfaction.
I make sure to have at most one large task, one to two medium tasks, and two to three small tasks. This way you won’t feel too overwhelmed with trying to finish everything at once.
You can also set rewards like a small snack or break time after you finish your work.
If your planner has a checklist, you can write your daily to-dos there or create it yourself.
Just create some square boxes and write the task next to them. Afterward, you can either check it off or cross off the task you finished.
An example may be:
♦ Complete group project
Ο Review flashcards for psych quiz
♦ Read over notes before business class
Ο Turn in cog. sci. assignment
Ο Reply to club emails
Place the more important tasks at the top and the less urgent ones toward the bottom. You can also give yourself some leeway by pushing one to two tasks to the next day if you need a break that day.
Then when your mega productive day arrives, you can go through all the unfinished tasks and work on them.
10. Communicate with Your Teachers/Professors
One of the main reasons you might not be hitting that grade is probably not performing well on assignments, quizzes, tests, group projects, or exercises.
And the main way to do better? That is to talk to your teachers or professors.
You can go to office hours or show up during lunchtime to ask them questions. Make sure you understand the topic and the material.
Then go ask any questions or areas that you are unsure of how to do.
Remember, teachers and professors are there to help you and are glad to be able to help you understand. It is their job to teach you.
If they are difficult to reach, you can ask the teaching assistants and go to study group sessions.
The sooner you get the material, the more time you have to study and less time to be stressed since you will be able to understand how to do something.
11. Take a Walk
Photo by Blue Bird
I say taking a walk should be one of your top new year’s resolution. No matter if you want to get good grades or not, taking a walk should be implemented for a healthier lifestyle and reduced stress.
Getting good grades doesn’t mean studying 24/7.
You also want to do other activities so your brain gets to rest. Take a walk every once in a while as a break.
For every 20-25 minutes that you spend studying, get up and take a brief 3-5 minute walk or stretch.
I find it particularly helpful when I am writing essays or stuck on problems. Just get up, walk a bit and come back.
This helps your brain get moving and approach your work with a fresh pair of eyes.
You can also do a workout move in between studying so you are getting both your exercise and work in at the same time.
Interested in more articles like this new year’s resolution ideas to get better grades? Check out 11 Genius Study Tips for Exams.
12. Goal Setting
If your goal is to get straight A’s this school year, write it down. Make it visible as your new year’s resolution and remind yourself of that goal constantly.
Then, write down every possible thing you can do to help you get there. List out any problems or obstacles that are preventing you from doing better in class.
Are you having trouble with the material?
Then you can get a study buddy, go to study sessions or office hours, and review the material until you understand it.
Are you stressed during quizzes or tests?
If you do well on assignments and reviews but have anxiety during tests, you can simulate the environment.
Practice with made-up questions and a timer in an environment like a classroom or lecture hall. Then, start taking the quiz or test and grade it when the timer goes off.
Go over all the problems you missed and check if it is because you were too nervous or because you did not know the material.
The more times you simulate the test-taking environment and take quizzes, the better you will do on the actual test.
If you have serious anxiety issues, you can talk to your teacher or professor and they usually have you take it separately in a classroom and proctor.
The main idea is to set up your goal, break it into approachable steps, and conquer any obstacles that appear.
13. Review Hour
Photo by cottonbro studio
Spend at least an hour each day or every couple of days to go over what you learned.
Organize your notes, your recent and past quizzes or tests, and worksheets. Then, settle down and just review your material.
This is the time to highlight any key ideas that the teacher or professor said would be tested. Go over any parts that you are still confused about and make sure you seek help.
Keep this review up so that when an exam rolls around, you can cut back on the time required to refresh your memory on concepts or terms. It will be remembered since you have been practicing and refreshing your memory constantly.
The more review that you do for a class, the better you will be able to study and the less time it will require you to cram for a test.
Moreover, the material will be in your brain for a longer time than cramming it all the day before and forgetting everything after the test.
Keep reviewing as a habit and it will come naturally that you won’t think of it as a chore anymore.
Try to try as many of these ideas as you can and instill them into your daily habits. The more you practice, the better you will be at your goals.
Remember to write down your new year’s resolution and check back to see if you accomplished it!
If you always forget your new year’s resolution midway through, try to write it in large print on a poster or set it as your home screen on your phone.
The more you are reminded of it, the more likely you will be able to work towards it. You got this and remember it’s always ok to take breaks in between when things get tough.
