Hey guys, it's Vinyl! Well, that's kind of obvious. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my tips for getting good grades, surviving the school year, etc. I'll also put some tricks I've learned throughout the years and some DIYs I've done so you guys can try them out! I'll update this as time goes on and I learn more tricks.

Studying/Homework Tips

- When you study, put your phone on airplane mode and/or hide it in your desk or pencil case. Twitter and Instagram can wait until later.

- Rewriting your notes can help you retain the information, as well as possibly making them neater/more organized.

- Before a test or exam, I like to make my own personalized study guide with things I need to work on. Sometimes teachers will give you one, but you might know some things, or there might not be enough information on topics you haven't mastered, so it's beneficial to make your own.

- Use Genius to study! Make a song page with the topic names you need to know and annotate them with notes --- not only are you gaining IQ, but you're also actively studying and might be helping out other students! You could also annotate books you're reading in class to help grow Lit Genius.

Notetaking

- There are lots of different ways to take notes, like mind-mapping, the Cornell system, and outlining. Choose a method that works for you.

- Using colored pens can help you absorb information, but limit yourself to one to three so it doesn't look like a rainbow threw up on your paper.

- Highlight things you're unsure of or don't understand so you can ask your teacher, look up more information, or can pay more attention to it when studying.

Lockers

- If there's a single piece of advice I could offer, it's to get a hanging organizer with two or three shelves, sometimes called a locker ladder. I honestly don't know what I would do without mine - my books would be an absolute mess!

- Clean your locker out every few weeks so it doesn't get too cluttered.

Organization: Binders, Notebooks, And All That Jazz

- Find an organization system that works for you, whether it's a separate notebook for each class or one notebook with multiple sections.

- In my middle school, every student was required to have what we called a travel binder, which was a binder where we put our homework and planners, then took only that one home unless we had to study a specific subject. I took a liking to it, and still use it in high school, though I've made some changes. I keep looseleaf, my homework folder, and my current notes in mine.

DIYs

- You know those stickers that come on CDs that say things like "the debut album by ___" or "features tracks like ___?" I collect those since I'm a music addict, and I hot-glued a few onto a magnetic sheet and cut them out, making customized magnets! I love these because they're so unique and unexpected, and they're tailored to my music taste.

Motivation Tips

- Having cool supplies can be strangely motivating, be it a pack of cute pencils or a notebook with a band you like on the cover. You could even make these yourself!