This year has made it crazy difficult to keep up with school work. Without the motivation of your teachers and actually being in class everyday, it can be hard to take the initiative to do it on your own. This is especially true with online or AP classes. However, as the semester is coming to an end and there are only a matter of weeks before work is due. If you’re like me, you’re probably a little behind and rushing to get things done in time. In order to help you out a bit, here are some things that I’ve done to try to stay on task.

Make a List

If you have Ms. Allen, I’m sure she’s told you this already. Most if not all virtual classes require you to make a pacing guide at the beginning of the semester. However, I personally find those hard to follow. What helps me is making a list for what I need to accomplish in a day or week and crossing it out or highlighting it as I go. I get a sense of satisfaction from completing a list or crossing off tasks, and I get motivated to do more. It also helps me stay organized so I know what I’ve done and still need to do.

Doing a Little is Better than None

It can be hard to resist the urge to have fun even when you know you have other responsibilities. Whether it’s playing video games or hanging out with friends, it’s difficult to have enough discipline to choose to do work instead. And with winter rolling in and seasonal depression (or normal depression for that matter) making doing anything feel impossible, it’s easy to let yourself get behind and not do your work. What I’ve done to try to stay on task is do things that motivate me or make me happy, like going out and seeing people, but doing a little bit of work in between instead of doing nothing at all. For example, if I know I’m going to see a friend one day, I’ll get up early and tell myself I have to do so many assignments before I leave. This could just be a personal thing, but having this “rule” in the back of my mind motivates me to do at least some work. Sometimes I also take my work with me so I can hang out with my friends and do work at the same time.

Look for Different Kinds of Help

I don’t know about you, but reaching out to my virtual teachers seems intimidating, especially when you’re behind in their class. If you can’t bring yourself to ask them for help or simply don’t want to, try looking towards more familiar faces for assistance. Find out who else is taking the same virtual classes as you and see if you can talk or meet up to work on things together. It may surprise you, but chances are you’re not the only one having trouble. Ask teachers you’ve had that teach a similar or the same subject and see if they can help or offer any tips. See if you know any college students that are taking or have taken a similar course and could assist you. There are also plenty of websites and videos online that have notes and work from other students to help if you want to compare your work. My favorites so far have been Quizlet, Brainly, and Coursehero, all though you do have to pay to access some of their features. 

Don’t Stress Too Much!

A little bit of stress to motivate you is good, but don’t freak out if you’re having problems. We still have another month or so before work is done, so just keep going and remember: any grade is better than a zero, so try not to be a perfectionist (I’m a hypocrite for saying that, but trust me, it’s better to have bad grades than no grades). 

 I am currently taking AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Psych, and AP Gov, so if you’d like to work together please let me know, I could sure use the help and I’d be willing to help you as much as I can as well. Good luck with whatever classes you have, AP or not, and try to stay safe this winter.