“New Year, New Me”, or at least that is what we tell ourselves every January. Too often one of the things that tops the list of new year’s resolutions for most students is doing better in school. Especially as the semester goes on it gets harder and harder to keep up with the work load and to actually make that resolution come true. But to make things easier, here are 6 tips to keep yourself motivated this semester and make it your best one yet.

1. Study in different places.

Studying for most people isn’t a whole lot of fun. Especially if you are studying for a class that you aren’t exactly a fan of it can be really easy to get bored and discouraged. However even if the studying part isn’t interesting this doesn’t mean that your surroundings can’t be. Switching up where you studying can keep you from getting bored and can give you an incentive to keep up with your school work. Get creative with your locations but places like Starbucks or a table outside can be great places to get some work done. Just be careful to pick a place where you know you can focus and won’t be distracted by outside noise

2. Have a study buddy.

Studying with friends can be a great way to do work without feeling like you are sacrificing socializing. Having a study buddy that will keep you accountable and will help you out when you need help in a certain class can be a great way to improve your grades. However, it is important that you pick this buddy wisely and make sure it is someone who you can sit down and actually do work with instead of just talking to them the entire time.

3. Try listening to non-lyrical music.

This is a tip that might not work for everyone, but you might want to try putting some music on in the background while you are studying or doing work. Ideally this music is something without lyrics (for examples classical music) so it is less distracting and it might be best when doing work that doesn’t involve reading. Music can help making studying or doing work seem more fun and less boring.

4. Get in a habit.

The hardest part of studying or doing work is just starting. You can make this easier however by getting into the habit of studying on a certain day or time. The consistency will make it less of a struggle to start doing your work and having a certain day or time set apart just to do your school work will make sure that you reach your academic goals this semester.