The return to school marks a crucial phase in a student’s year, filled with new opportunities and significant challenges. According to the American Psychological Association, an overwhelming 87% of U.S. college students identify education as their primary source of stress. These initial weeks set a critical foundation that can influence the entire academic year. Many students find themselves struggling to adjust to new schedules, balance academic demands with extracurricular activities, and cope with the pressure to succeed early on. However, there are effective strategies to manage these hurdles. By cultivating a growth mindset, setting SMART goals, and mastering organization, students can transform their initial anxieties into a structured and confident approach to the new school year.
Cultivating a Growth Mindset
Before he became a legendary filmmaker, Steven Spielberg faced formidable challenges that would have discouraged many. Despite his passion for film, Spielberg was rejected not once, but three times from the prestigious University of Southern California film school. Undeterred, he continued to pursue his interest in filmmaking at another university, only to drop out to take a directorial role—a bold move that eventually launched his iconic career in Hollywood.
A growth mindset, the belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work, is exemplified in Spielberg’s persistence. This approach transforms challenges into opportunities and failures into lessons, paving the way for continuous learning and success.
A growth mindset embodies several key principles:
Embracing Challenges: It encourages us to view challenges not as obstacles, but as opportunities to expand our capabilities and learn new skills.
What can you do?
- Volunteer for projects or assignments that are outside of your comfort zone.
- Join clubs or activities that challenge your existing skills.
- Set personal stretch goals in subjects where you feel less confident.
Persistence Against Setbacks: This mindset fosters resilience, enabling us to persevere in the face of difficulties and setbacks, much like Spielberg did when faced with rejection.
What can you do?
- After an unsuccessful exam, project, or practice test, thoroughly review your work to pinpoint mistakes, identify patterns, and strategize improvements for future tests.
- Create a “failure resume” where you list your setbacks alongside the lessons learned from each.
- Make it a habit to celebrate small victories on the way to overcoming a larger setback.
Learning from Criticism: A growth mindset allows us to see feedback as a valuable tool for learning and improvement, rather than a personal attack or a discouragement.
What can you do?
- Actively ask teachers, peers, or mentors for specific feedback on assignments or projects.
- Practice responding to criticism with questions about how to improve, rather than defensiveness.
- Not all criticism is helpful. Analyze criticism to differentiate between useful constructive feedback and unhelpful subjective opinions.
Innate Ability vs. Developed Skill: Embracing a growth mindset means believing that we can significantly enhance our abilities and intelligence if we put in the work. It reminds us that while talent can give us a head start, effort determines our ultimate success.
What can you do?
- Embrace the power of “yet.” Whenever you catch yourself thinking, “I can’t do this,” add “yet” to the end of the sentence to remind yourself that improvement is possible.
- Teach a skill you are learning to someone else. This reinforces your knowledge and shows that abilities can be developed through effort.
- Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps and set short-term goals to achieve each step, celebrating each success along the way. By focusing on effort and progress rather than innate ability, you reinforce the idea that skills can be developed.
Setting SMART Goals
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear illustrates the power of what he calls effective “systems” with the story of the British Cycling team. The team had been struggling for years without any major victories. When a new performance director took over in 2003, he focused on making small, incremental improvements in every aspect of cycling. This concept, known as “marginal gains,” transformed the team’s performance. Clear explains, “You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” Systems are the processes and habits that drive consistent progress. While Clear highlights the limitations of vague, result-oriented goals, SMART goals provide a structured approach that defines clear, actionable steps toward achieving specific outcomes. Setting SMART goals helps create effective systems.
So, what exactly are SMART goals?
Specific: Goals should be clear and detailed, providing a direct path to what you want to achieve.
- Instead of “improve at math,” set a goal to “improve algebra grades from a B to an A by the end of the semester.”
- Change “get fit” to “run a 5k in under 30 minutes by training three times a week.”
Measurable: You should be able to track the progress of your goals, which is why defining them with specific, quantitative targets is crucial.
- This is why we want to specify getting an A in algebra—we can measure that 90%.
- Again, this is why our specific goal includes “under 30 minutes.”
Achievable: Ensure your goals are realistic and within your capacity to achieve given your current resources and constraints.
- Ensure you have access to algebra tutoring or additional resources if grades are currently low.
- Assess current fitness level and gradually increase training intensity.
Relevant: Goals should align with your broader long-term goal.
- Improving algebra grades can help with college applications for a science major.
- Running a 5k might be the first step toward a long-term goal of leading a healthier lifestyle.
Time-bound: Set specific deadlines for your goals to ensure a sense of urgency and focus.
- This is why we specify “by the end of the semester.”
- Change “run a 5k in under 30 minutes by training three times a week” to “finish this November’s Turkey Trot 5k in under 30 minutes by training three times a week.”
Mastering Organization
Benjamin Franklin was not just famed for his scientific and political contributions but also for his legendary organizational skills. Franklin meticulously planned each day, crafting routines that balanced work, learning, and personal reflection, which he believed were key to his intellectual and moral development. His famous daily schedule included time blocks for deep work, strategic planning, and personal upkeep, demonstrating his commitment to a structured, balanced life.
Franklin’s approach to organization highlights how methodically arranged schedules and priorities can not only boost productivity but also enhance overall mental health. By reducing clutter—both mental and physical—and emphasizing the importance of daily routines, he managed to excel in various disciplines while maintaining a clear and focused mind.
Applying Franklin’s Organizational Principles:
- Structure Your Day: Like Franklin, use a planner or digital calendar to block out time for different activities. Be specific about what you will accomplish during these times, whether it’s studying, working, or relaxing.
- Prioritize Tasks: Identify the most important tasks for the day and tackle those first. Use the Eisenhower Box technique to sort tasks by urgency and importance, focusing on what not only needs immediate attention but will also advance your long-term goals.
- Embrace Routine: Establish and adhere to a daily routine that includes time for both productive work and relaxation. Regularity in your schedule can decrease stress and increase your effectiveness.
- Reflect Daily: End your day with a reflection on what you’ve achieved and what needs improvement. This can be a quiet time of meditation or jotting down thoughts in a journal.
- Maintain Your Environment: Keep your physical and digital workspaces organized. A clutter-free environment promotes a clearer mind and reduces anxiety, allowing for better focus and creativity.
- Review and Plan: At the end of each week, review what you’ve accomplished and plan the next week. This not only helps you stay on track but also gives you a sense of control and accomplishment.
By integrating these organizational strategies into your daily life, you can significantly enhance your ability to manage time and tasks. Organization isn’t just about getting things done; it’s about aligning your day-to-day actions with your broader life goals, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being.
Unleash Your Full Potential
Ready to help your student master these skills? Sign up for our September 24th webinar: “3 Essential Skills to Kickstart the School Year.” Our experts will give you practical, easy-to-follow strategies to implement at home with your student to get organized, set goals, reduce stress, boost confidence, and succeed from day one!
