How to level up as a student

So you're standing there, next to your friends and family, as the New Year's countdown ticks away. In these final few minutes, you reflect on how your year went. You think about academics, the classes you did well in, and the ones that were a bit tougher. You think about fitness. You started going to the gym at the beginning of the year, but then school got in the way, and it became pretty hard to stay consistent. And of course, you think about your finances. Maybe this year you got a new part-time job, and you started saving up for a phone, but you're not there quite yet. In these final few minutes, you feel proud of all you accomplished, and the progress you made in all these areas. But you also realize there's room to improve. Here's how you're going to make 2024 your best year yet. So first, let's talk about academics, and how you're going to start getting better grades. The New Year is the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on how the school year has been going for you so far. I encourage you to take a little bit of time to think about your study environment and your study habits. As the school year has been going on, maybe your study environment has a lot of clutter, maybe your backpack has a lot of garbage, or maybe your notes are pretty disorganized and all over the place. Take the first few days of the New Year to get everything in order. If you have broken supplies that look like this, maybe it's time to get new stationery. If your notes are all crumpled up in your backpack, I recommend you get some folders and binders and sort everything out. And here's a bonus tip, color code everything so you can be even more organized. And then of course, tidy up your study environment. If you have anything on your desk that distracted you this past year, of course now is the time to get rid of it. And this might also be the perfect time to make a few upgrades. For example, I can see my desk right now and I'll go ahead and list off a few of my essentials. So if you're an upperclassman in high school or in college, you're probably going to need a second monitor or maybe even a third monitor if you're studying a STEM subject. I recommend always having a water bottle on your desk. Mine's kind of far away, but I have one of those fancy Brita water bottles that has a filter built into it. I think it's pretty cool. And then I have this little desk organizer that has all of my supplies. I have a couple of journals. I have a pair of headphones. And then I have a pretty nice keyboard and mouse that makes using my computer a bit more enjoyable. As you can see, I like to keep things pretty simple and I recommend you do the same. Alright, so beyond your physical space, I recommend you take some time this new year to upgrade your digital space. If your Google Drive is super cluttered, I recommend removing unnecessary files and sorting all of your documents into class-specific folders. I also recommend you start using a productivity app. You don't need anything too fancy, but just keep a running list of tasks that you have to do every single day. You can use something like Google Calendar, Todoist, or Notion. And by the way, if you guys are interested in seeing my Google Calendar slash Notion setup, go ahead and let me know. It's a little bit unusual, but I set it up at the start of last year and it's been pretty helpful for me. Alright, now once you've optimized your physical environment and created a digital system that works for you, I recommend you take some time this year to create an after-school routine. Now, I've talked about this in previous videos, but I think one of the biggest issues students face today is procrastination that results from all of these distractions that are always around us. For example, when you come home school, you probably feel very tempted to go on your couch or sit in your bed and scroll through TikTok, go on YouTube, scroll through Instagram. And look, it is important to take some time to relax and take breaks, but if these sessions go unchecked, you'll probably find yourself scrolling through these apps for hours on end, pushing off your schoolwork, and staying up until like 2 or 3 a.m. So make sure you have a robust after-school routine in which you at least organize your tasks as soon as you come home. This way, you'll at least be aware of what you have to cover for the rest of the day, and you'll be less likely to push things off. Alright, so now let's briefly talk about health and fitness, and I want you to stay with me here. Look, I know if you watch my channel, you're probably very studious, and maybe there's a chance you don't focus too much on fitness, but I genuinely believe that if you want to succeed as a student, you also have to consider your physical health. So I'll keep this brief. In 2024, I want you to start getting sunlight. 10 to 15 minutes a day, preferably sometime in the morning, is what I recommend you at least get. I also recommend you get some cardio in every day, because let's face it, most of us are just sitting all day every day, and there are numerous studies about how being sedentary can be pretty harmful to your overall health. Now, if you're one of my older viewers, I recommend you get some weight training in as well. Now, I didn't really start lifting until college, but to this day, I follow a simple PPL routine, and that stands for push, pull, flex. Now, I'm not gonna go over a full fitness routine in this Okay, and now the third pillar I want you to consider going into 2024 is your finances. Look, even if you're younger and don't have a part-time job yet, I still think it's important that you listen to these tips. So first of all, I want you to create a budget, especially if you're in college. A simple rule that you can follow is the 50-30-20 rule. Now, this rule is a rough guide that states that 50% of your budget should go towards needs, 30% should go towards wants, and 20% should go towards savings. Now, truthfully, if you're a student, you probably don't have too many needs, so I recommend you put any extra money towards savings. And if you're old enough, I also recommend you start building up your credit this year, and to be honest, this is something I waited way too long to do. And then finally, I recommend you start investing some of your money, and if you're one of my younger viewers, I recommend you look up something called a custodial Roth IRA and talk to your parents about it. And I'm gonna leave that there because I don't know how interested you guys are in me talking about finances, but let me know in the comments. Now guys, I genuinely hope those tips were helpful, and if they were, be sure to like and subscribe, and I know that you're about to crush it in 2024.