6 Ways to Have Your Most Successful Semester Ever – FREE printables!

Students these days are busier than ever before.  

Between class, rehearsals, homework, performances, work, social activities, family time, social media, and more, it seems impossible to get it all done!

The following six practices will help you to have the most successful semester ever! 

Don’t believe me? Use this 5-day weekend to make a plan and see if next week isn't more successful.

1. Plan how you spend your time or wonder where it went.

I was first introduced to this concept by Dave Ramsey in regards to money.  If we don’t budget our finances, we are left at the end of the month wondering where all of our money went. 

The same happens with our time.  If we do not plan how we are going to spend our time, we will find ourselves at the end of the day, week, month, or semester wondering where all the time went.  

We only have 24 hours in every day and 7 days in every week.  If we don’t plan how we will spend our time, someone else will plan it for us, and their plans will further their dreams and goals, not ours.

2. Even 10 minutes can make a big difference.

Last week, a student told me that they were unable to practice much the week before.  I encouraged her to find just 10 minutes a day to practice.  Those 10 minutes can really add up! 

Sometimes when you sit down to spend 10 minutes doing something, before you know it, you end up spending 15 or 20 or 40 or 60 minutes on that task. 

If you only spend 10 minutes, you’re still 10 minutes further along with that task than you were before!  

In her lesson today, my student remarked that those 10 minute practice sessions really did make a difference!

3. Schedule breaks, buffer zones, and transitional times.

I am addicted to being productive.  Rest feels like a waste of time.  Socializing is a luxury I can’t afford because I have way too much going on.  I jam-pack my schedule with back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to…- you get the point – commitments.  It’s no wonder I’ve been so stressed!

Breaks.

I was reminded by my friend Sarah Petty of Sage Advice Wellness that stress causes so many mental, emotional, and physical issues in our lives.  When I look at breaks as something healthy for me like a bowl of vegetables, I allow myself to do something good for myself by scheduling 15- or 30-minute breaks where I can get away from work and get outside or have lunch with a friend or two or four, as the case was today.

Also, your brain can really only focus hard for about 45-65 minutes at a time, so a break allows your brain to revive itself before you continue working. 

Buffer zones. 

When my schedule is so full, if one thing runs longer than expected, everything else suffers.  My poor kids suffer the wrath of their running-late mama more often than I care to admit. Buffer zones allow for something to take a little bit longer than expected - like putting on a toddler’s shoes - without causing you to run late to the next thing on the list.

Transitional times. 

Transitional times are different than buffer zones because they are an intentional time to shift mental gears from one task to another.  Teaching theory, teaching music appreciation, and teaching piano lessons, though all teaching, require a different mindset.  When I have a few minutes scheduled between each task, I can shift gears more effectively.

4. Group similar activities together.

I have raved about batching on Facebook a lot lately!  Batching is the practice of doing similar tasks all at once. 

I am currently working on a project that has bi-weekly lessons with ten components in each lesson.  Those components are similar from lesson to lesson, but not exactly the same.  When I sit down to create a lesson and try to create one of each component to put into the lesson, it is very tedious and arduous and other –ous words that mean “not fun.”

This weekend, however, I sat down and made twelve of Component 1, twelve of Component 2, twelve of Component 3, and so on.  I was able to focus on one particular type of task that I repeated twelve times instead of shifting gears between ten different types of things.  It went much more smoothly and made the final assembling of the next twelve lessons much smoother as well!

Anytime you can group similar tasks together, your brain does not require transition time (see #3) and can work more efficiently.  Who doesn’t like a more efficient brain? (Put your hand down, Husband.)

5. Plan your day the night before.

This advice has been shared by many authors and speakers, but I was most recently reminded of it by Kenn Hughes, Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Mobile.  

When we take the time to plan our day before we go to sleep, we are able to be so much more prepared in the morning. 

When I don’t plan ahead, I am running like crazy trying to get everything done and everyone out the door on time.  

I end up having to print things out at the last minute, hoping the printer works and has ink and paper.  I realize that the healthiest thing I have to offer my son for lunch is cheese puffs and a honey bun.  I also realize that I should have done a load of laundry the night before because now my 2-year old is throwing down because she wants to wear her puppy shirt which is still dirty. 

If you take even 10 minutes (see #2) to consider what all is going on the next day, you can preempt so much of the morning craziness by preparing the night before, which leads me to my last point.

6. Establish routines, especially for the mornings and before bed.

I have recently gotten back in the habit of writing down the things that must be done each night before bed and each morning before we leave for school.  

When my mind is exhausted, I can look at that list and remember to grab the lunches that I did manage to pack the night before.  I am also reminded to put shoes on my daughter, which I completed neglected to do earlier this week.

People these days are busier than ever before.  Anything you can do to help your brain not have to think as much is much appreciated by your mind and body.  Writing down these routines gives you less to have to remember each night and each morning. 

Free printable schedule

To help you plan your days, including breaks, 10-minute activities, and morning and evening routines, I’ve created 6 simple printable weekly schedules that includes these 6 practices on the top or bottom of the schedule. 

Click here and in exchange for nothing more than your e-mail address and first name, I will send you all 6 printable weekly schedules in both PDF and Excel formats. 

I want you to have the most successful semester ever!  It all starts with taking control of your time by creating a plan!

Click here to start becoming more successful!