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By Zayna Dar, Founder, Shuhari Tuition
Returning to school after the February half-term comes with its challenges. A week of relaxed routines make it difficult to readjust to the early morning starts and long school days. This can leave you feeling unmotivated and struggling to concentrate in lessons or meet deadlines. When everything requires more effort, sometimes it’s easier to simply do nothing, and this can create a cycle of procrastination that makes it even harder to catch up.
This blog looks at how to get your brain to switch gears back into study mode and beat the post-half-term slump. We’ll consider how to get back into a routine and manage upcoming deadlines. We’ll also explore how to stay focused in lessons when your mind would rather be somewhere else. Finally, we’ll look at why taking care of yourself is just as important as keeping up with homework and revision. The aim is to help you find your feet again and get back on top of your studies.
Re-establishing your routine
The first few days back at school can be a bit of a shock to the system. Getting up early and spending the day in back-to-back lessons, then coming home to a pile of homework is tiring, especially if you’ve spent the past week going to bed later and taking things at your own pace. You might find yourself struggling to concentrate on what your teacher is saying or putting off homework because you just can’t seem to get started.
If this sounds familiar, don’t worry. It takes some time to get back into the rhythm of school, and the best place to start is by looking at your daily routine. One of the most important things to get back on track with is your sleep schedule. Staying up late might not seem like a big deal during the holidays, but suddenly having to wake up early again can leave you feeling exhausted. Try to get into the habit of going to bed at a similar time each night and give yourself enough time to wind down before you go to sleep.
Keeping consistent sleep and wake times regulates your body clock so your brain knows when to feel alert and when to rest, helping you to concentrate during the day. It’s also worth thinking about how you spend your evenings. If you’re scrolling through your phone right up until bedtime, try putting it away a little earlier and reading a book instead. Getting enough sleep makes a real difference to how you feel the following day, especially when you need to concentrate in lessons.
It’s also helpful to make your mornings as straightforward and stress-free as possible. Instead of rushing around trying to find your school uniform or pencil case, pack your bag the night before and check that you have everything you need for the next day. If you have homework to hand in, make sure you’ve packed that too. Although these might seem like small things, they help you start the day on the right foot and make the transition back to school that little bit easier.
When it comes to studying, don’t expect yourself to go straight from a week off to spending the entire evening revising. If you’re struggling to get started, begin with something more manageable. You could spend half an hour reviewing what you covered in a lesson or testing your understanding of a unit with flashcards to ease yourself back into the routine. Completing a low-stakes task gives you a sense of accomplishment, which is sometimes the boost you need before moving on to more demanding tasks.
Once you’ve got going, you’ll build momentum and find it easier to carry on. The key thing is to avoid looking at everything you need to do at once, as this makes your workload seem much more daunting than it actually is. You might even want to plan your week in advance by creating a timetable and allocating time to lessons, revision, homework, and downtime.
You should also think about where and when you work best. If you usually end up doing your homework in front of the television or checking your phone every few minutes, it might be worth finding a quieter place to study that’s free of distractions. You don’t need a perfectly organised desk, but what you do need is somewhere you can concentrate without too many interruptions. Your brain is more likely to switch into ‘focus mode’ automatically if it associates a certain room in the house with studying. Having a regular time set aside for homework helps too, as you’ll prime your body and mind for working then switching off for the evening.
Setting realistic goals for the week ahead
Once you’ve settled back into your routine, it’s time to think about the work you need to get done. After a week off, you might find that you have homework deadlines approaching and revision that you’ve been putting off. Looking at your entire to-do list might be a bit intimidating, so spending a little time working out what needs to be done first helps you get organised.
Start by writing down the tasks you need to complete over the coming week. Include homework deadlines, upcoming tests, or any topics you need to brush up on. Making a list shows you what your workload looks like and helps you decide which tasks to prioritise. You’ll find that some tasks need your immediate attention, while others can wait until later in the week. Once you’ve worked this out, you’ll have a much clearer idea of where to start.
When planning your week, be specific about what you want to achieve. Writing down that you need to revise maths doesn’t give you much direction, and you might end up spending half your study session going back and forth deciding what to do. Choose a particular topic to focus on or set yourself the goal of completing a few exam-style questions. Having a specific task in mind will help you stay focused and track your progress.
Be realistic about how much you can achieve in an evening. If you have a tight homework deadline, fitting in a revision session might not be possible. Trying to squeeze too much into your timetable will leave you working late into the night, which will only make getting up for school the next morning more difficult. Give yourself enough time to complete each task properly, and in between periods of focused work remember to leave room for breaks.
Give some thought to the work you’ve been putting off too. If there’s an assignment you don’t quite know how to start, set aside some time for it earlier in the week. Leaving it until the last minute makes it much more stressful, especially when other deadlines start to approach. You don’t have to finish the entire assignment in one sitting. Writing a rough plan or answering a few questions is still progress, and you can build on it in your next study session.
Staying focused in lessons
Getting back into the school routine is one thing, but actually concentrating in lessons can be another challenge altogether. After a week away from school, you might find that your mind keeps wandering, even when you’re trying your best to pay attention. You could be thinking about the fun things you did during half-term or counting down the hours until you can go home. This is completely normal during the first few days back. However, paying attention in class makes a big difference to how well you understand a topic, so it’s important you find ways to keep your mind on the lesson.
One thing that helps is to actually get involved in what you’re learning. If you sit back and passively listen to your teacher, it’s likely your attention will drift, especially during a lesson on a topic you find difficult or less interesting. Try making notes as you go along, even if it’s just writing down a few bullet points summarising the main points in your own words. You could jot down any questions that come to mind or highlight something you need to go over again. You could even ask or answer a question during a class discussion. By actively engaging with the material as you learn it, you’re more likely to retain the information.
Pay attention to what might be distracting you. If you’re tired, hungry, or worrying about an assignment you haven’t finished, it can be much harder to concentrate on what’s happening in the classroom. Try to attend to anything that’s likely to affect your concentration, such as making sure you get around eight hours of sleep and having a nutritious breakfast in the morning. If you’re someone who gets easily distracted by their surroundings, try sitting at the front of the class and turning your phone on silent. Inevitably you’ll zone out from time to time, but as soon as you notice yourself going off track, gently bring your attention back to what your teacher is saying.
Making time to review what you’ve learnt
It’s important you deal with gaps in your knowledge before they become bigger problems. In some subjects, especially maths and science, new topics often build on what you’ve learnt previously, so if you’re unsure about an earlier concept, you might find the next lesson harder to follow. After a week away from school, you may realise that you’ve forgotten content or something that you thought you’d got the hang of before the half-term doesn’t quite make as much sense now.
So that you don’t fall behind, spend some time revisiting the topics you covered before half-term to refresh your memory. Try to build short review sessions into your daily routine so that you can consolidate the material you’ve covered in class. It reduces the pressure of catching up before an upcoming exam, as you’ll already have laid the foundations.
These review sessions move information from short-term memory into long-term memory, making it easier to recall in an exam. They also prevent work from piling up because you’re reinforcing your knowledge little and often instead of trying to relearn everything at once. If you’re still struggling, ask your teacher or tutor for help. Reaching out for help is always better than keeping any problems you’re having with a subject to yourself.
Looking after your well-being
Bouncing back after the half-term is just as much about managing your workload as it is looking after yourself. When you have a lot on your plate, you might find yourself spending most of your free time on studying or completing assignments, leaving little room for the activities that help you relax. This can make school feel overwhelming and because you don’t have enough downtime, you might find concentrating more difficult and start procrastinating. The key is to find a balance between studying and taking care of yourself.
One of the most important things you can do is make sure you’re taking regular breaks. Working for hours on end causes mental fatigue and reduces concentration. Try splitting your revision into shorter sessions with a little time away from your desk in between. You could go for a quick walk around the block or grab a healthy snack before getting back to work. Although it might seem counterintuitive when you’re working under time pressure, taking a short break refreshes your brain and improves memory retention and focus.
Don’t forget to make time for activities you enjoy outside of school. Whether that’s playing a sport, meeting up with friends, or anything else that helps you unwind, having something to look forward to makes a busy week feel a little lighter. Plan your free time around your studies so that you have time to relax without worrying about unfinished tasks. Having a healthy balance between study time and leisure time helps you stay motivated and prevents burnout.
If you’re finding it difficult to concentrate, or you haven’t managed to complete everything on your to-do list, don’t be too hard on yourself. Getting back into a routine takes time, but if you’re still feeling stressed about your workload, talk to a teacher, parent, or tutor who can help you work out what to prioritise. Pay attention to how you’re feeling as you settle back into school. If you’re constantly tired, struggling to focus, or feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to think about what might help. Small adjustments, such as getting more sleep or taking short but frequent breaks will help you readjust to school life.
Getting back on track after half-term
Re-establishing a routine after the February half-term can feel like an uphill battle, so don’t worry if you’re not completely on top of things straight away. The key is to take small steps towards building positive habits and finding your motivation again. As you readjust to school life, recognise the progress you’re making along the way. You can get off to a good start by fixing your sleep schedule, setting some realistic goals, staying focused in lessons, and addressing the gaps in your knowledge. This will help you tackle the term ahead and overcome any challenges you may face.
