One of the most important skills that you can learn during your A-Levels and GCSEs is how to set up an effective daily routine. Having an effective routine will allow you to be as productive as possible, so here are the steps that you can take to set one up.
1. Decide how much time you want to dedicate to study
The first thing to think about when planning out your routine is how much time you want to allocate out. Obviously, during your GCSEs and A-Levels, you'll have set hours for school already in place, but the rest of your day is yours to plan out! If you feel like you can wake up early and fit in revision before school, then that's great, but if you feel like it's best to stick to evening and weekends, then that's up to you. Your routine has to be realistic to what you think you are able to achieve.
2. Start your morning out right
Our advice is to use your morning to set up your day in the right way, and you can do this by making sure you at the very least eat a healthy, filling breakfast to give you the energy you'll need for the day. It's up to you to decide what else you want to do with your morning, but we suggest that you do simple things like make your bed to accomplish your first goal of the day, get what you need for the day organised, and if you can, fit in some exercise or meditation to get your body and mind ready for the day.
3. Plot out all the things you want to fit into your day
A good way of figuring out what you want to achieve is to make a list of things you'd like to tick off each day. These don't have to be study related, they could include exercise, meditation or tidying up. Whatever you want to fit in, add it to your list so you have a clear picture of things to do. This can include the things you want to study, but at this stage you only need to give a bit of an overview, as each day you're likely to be studying a different topic - but you can also add general items, like checking if you have any upcoming homework due.
4. Don't get overly specific, and be flexible
One thing you might want to avoid is listing the exact times that you plan to do things. Listing out each task with a set time, for example, brush teeth at 7:15am, can lead to disappointment if you fail to hit that exact task at the exact time. Instead, set a time bracket of either an hour or a half an hour in which you can put a few tasks. This will allow you to be a bit more flexible if you need to be, as there is always the possibility of something disrupting your schedule.
5. Make sure it's balanced!
Overall, be sure to create a routine that is specific to you and your abilities. If you fill it up too much, then you're only going to tire yourself or fail to achieve your goals. Don't overload yourself with too many tasks - try and keep it realistic, and make sure you have a good balance between schoolwork and other activities you have during the day, whether that's hanging out with friends and family, to having alone time to watch a TV show or movie.
You can find a lot of great videos of other students who have listed out their daily routines on YouTube if you need further inspiration. Here is one of our favourites!
