The first week of school is full of fun, happiness, and a drive to be your best self for the next nine months or so. You then hit the second week of school where you realize that you have to wake up every weekday morning earlier than you’d like (no matter how late your classes are, you still have to get out of bed eventually), sit in a classroom and listen to that one monotone professor for what seems like an eternity, and do a boat load of homework and studying while you wonder if you could pull off not getting a degree and still end up well off. Let’s face it – the school year can get kind of exhausting quickly. It can even get exhausting before it starts because, honestly, the packing and settling in process to even get to college is a whole other stride of effort within itself. If you lose all incentive too early on, your grades will soon start to slip, ultimately causing academic turmoil on your transcript and causing the loss of scholarships and job opportunities. If that doesn’t kick the lack of motivation out of your system, here are some tips to help you through the school year and even to help you finish packing.

1. Start your days off right

If you simply wake up, roll out of bed, and go to class, you aren’t setting yourself up for a good, successful day. Instead, wake up a bit earlier and start your day off productively. Whether that means going for a jog, cooking yourself breakfast, or even getting a bit of homework out of the way, at least you aren’t lying in bed on your phone until the dreaded time comes for you to get up and get going. Even if it means waking up a tiny bit earlier (I’m sorry), it will be without a doubt be worth the sudden increase of drive you will feel.

2. Put post-it notes on the walls/doors that have inspirational quotes or to-do lists on it

This is something I do all the time and is definitely effective. I always stick these notes on places where I know I will be looking, such as face-level on the door, on a mirror in the bathroom, on cabinet doors, on my desk, or by where I plug my phone in. Keeping lists, first of all, reminds you that you have stuff to do and, since it is already organized on a note for you, all you have to do is do it! The inspirational quotes, in addition, aid in reminding you of why you are in school in the first place, therefore giving you the motivation to do your best. It is an extremely effective technique that I highly recommend to all of you.

3. Make a playlist of music that gets you going

If I know anything, it’s that music can help you in any situation. With that said, think of any songs that inspire you to get stuff done and put it all in a playlist. Then, just listen and get to work work work work work work (sorry not sorry).

4. Organize your life, seriously

If you find yourself struggling to focus on your homework while in your dorm, maybe it’s because of the mess around you. Cleaning up your dorm can be considered a form of procrastination; however, once you are done cleaning up, you will have the motivation and drive to get more things done, like studying.

5. Go somewhere other than your dorm to study

You know how you sometimes can’t focus when you do homework at home no matter how hard you try? It gets that way in college, too, because you start to think of your dorm as your home. Your campus has countless places that are available to use for homework and studying. You can even go to a coffee shop or library nearby campus if you really want to get away. The motivation is waiting for you wherever you go, guaranteed.