10 things to start doing NOW to get ready to go back to school [teen edition]

Sorry, but it’s time to get ready to go back to school. I know, I know, there is still a few weeks left of the holidays BUT… if you leave it until the last week it’s going to completely wreck the end of your holidays. Trust me, I know!

For a start, it’s super stressful trying to do all of these things in a week (or a day – we’ve all been there). That’s without even considering that you might not fit your uniform anymore or Officeworks is out of your favourite pen. How can you be ready to go back to school without your favourite pen!?! You can see the problem.

To maximise the chances that you’ll have everything you need on day one, try doing these things now. If it takes you a day, great. If it takes longer, no problem. You’ll be ready to go back to school with a smile when the time comes (hopefully).

1. Try on your uniform

It’s been a whole summer holidays since we’ve had to wear our uniforms so it’s very possible you’ve started to outgrow it. So, dust off your uniform (if you can find it) and try it on.

Also try on shoes, jumpers, sports gear and even your hat! If it doesn’t fit, you’ve still got plenty of time to get a new one or finally unpick that crooked hem you put in at the start of year 7.

By the way, put your uniform on to wash again before you put it on for school. It’s been sitting in your junky room for more than 6-weeks, so it could probably use a refresh!

2. Start waking up on time

This is the hardest part, but it’s gotta be done. First things first: pull out your alarm clock and actually set it to the proper time (daylight savings) so you can set a morning alarm, or finally set up that bedtime function on your phone.

Getting up early (or earlier) now is very important so you aren’t too stressed about getting up for school. If you’re anything like me, if you’re stressed about waking up on time, you probably won’t be able to get to sleep at all. Setting a few alarms on my phone (and asking my mum to be my backup!) helps give me peace of mind.

Another tip is to get up early and get outside into the sun. Apparently getting daylight into your eyes first thing in the morning can help reset your circadian rhythm. If you find yourself saying “I’m never tired at night” then sleeping in until midday, you definitely need to do this. The first couple of morning wake ups are a complete punish, but you’ll soon get used to it.

3. Go back to your ‘school’ routine (or a modified version)

A couple of weeks out from going back to school is the perfect time to adjust your schedule to fit things around the school day. That pesky school day!

Start factoring in things like how long it takes you to get ready, your travel time and other aspects of your everyday routine. It might seem extreme, but this kind of ready to go back to school routine will make the transition a lot easier and less jarring on your mental health.

4. Go back to regulated meals times during the week

It is important to go back to only eating at the dedicated times during the school day so you can ‘train’ your body to get hungry at those times and not before so you won’t be uncomfortable throughout the day. You might like to have lunch at your usual school time and break your day into before school, school time and after school time.

This also means you may have to include more protein, fibre, fat, and more whole foods so that you’ll be sustained on only two meals during the school day.

5. Re-pack your school bag

It would be awful to get to school and realise you don’t have something that you desperately need like your pencil case or your water bottle. It’s a good idea to put the things you won’t need in the next two weeks back into your school bag so you know you have them.

You may even take this opportunity to pack your bag even better than it was before!!

Check this out: How to pack your bag ready for anything

6. Check your equipment is still good

Check that all your equipment is still in good condition and usable for another term. For example, new workbooks, pens and pencils, white out, erasers and… does your calculator still work? Mine never seems to function after having the summer off. A bit like me…

Personally, my laptop also can’t hold a charge for longer than, like, an hour anymore. This wasn’t an issue over summer because I could have it plugged in all day if I had to, but now and I need to get a new battery so I’m ready for back to school.

7. Organise your laptop

Speaking of which, your laptop is probably getting super-packed with old schoolwork. It’s a good idea to clear it all out onto a hard drive or Google Drive ready for. fresh school year.

I recommend making a folder labelled by your year group (eg. mine would be called Year 10), in your Google Drive and then dividing that folder into subjects (eg. Maths, Science, Art, etc.). Then you can easily find documents if you need to refer to them.

You can also upload PDFs and other files that you had to download for class onto your Google Drive so everything is in the same place.

8. Remember how to pack a lunch

Yup, it’s been a while. Here’s what to put in your lunchbox when the time comes:

9. Try not to stress about it

A lot of you won’t be stressed at all about the transition back to school, but it can be very hard for some people. If you aren’t worried about it, try and support those who are and check in with your friends every so often. 🙂

But if you are worried (which is a completely fair reaction to a change in routine), try and remember that these are the same people you’ve been at school with for years. Unless you’re heading into year 7, in which case, read this immediately.

Remember, worrying about it now won’t do you any good, so just head on in with an open heart and mind and see how you go.

Feature image by 周康; sleep in Photo by Ketut Subiyanto; laptop by Theo