What To Know About Going Into Year 11 (Fourth Year)!

What To Know About Going Into Year 11 (Fourth Year)!

Hallo! Long time no post! I do apologise that I haven't posted in a while, but this may explain why.

You may or may not know that I'm in fourth year. If not then now you know! I also happen to be starting in to my GCSE courses. Now, I knew GCSEs weren't going to be a walk in the park, but I didn't expect them to be like this. Suddenly, I don't understand Maths (I do fast track Maths so my teacher doesn't really explain it), I've started failing tests for once in my life in subjects that I thought I was good at! It all a bit of a whirlwind of madness - and let me tell you I was not ready for it!

I went into fourth year oblivious to the amount of work that I was going to be doing. Due to this I have been overwhelmed by what each subject had 'thrown at me'. Therefore, I have compiled a list of things I feel you should be aware of when going into fourth year:

* Start your notes as soon as possible - I'm not saying you have to learn them immediately, but when exam time comes around your not stressing about not even having your notes done, never mind learning them!
*   Ask for help if you don't understand - speak to your teacher or a parent. With Maths I was a bit confused with quadratics, now we have moved on to a different topic that involves quadratics and I was so confused at the start of it because I didn't understand quadratics.
* Stop procrastinating - as they say, "procrastination is the thief of time." Click here to find out how I stop myself procrastinating!
* Understand the importance of it all - Year 11 (fourth year) doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is. This is the year you start your GCSE courses. What you learn this year will be vital foundations for your GCSEs!
* Enjoy it - it all gets harder from here! Enjoy it while it lasts. Because while it may seem like hard work now when you look back on it a few years later you'll wish things were still as easy.

I'm sorry for not posting regularly like I promised I've just been consumed by assessments at the moment. Hopefully I can try and post a little more often though!

-El x

How To Stop Procrastinating Now!

Procrastination 

procrastination

prə(ʊ)ˌkrastɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

1. the action of delaying or postponing something.

   "your first tip is to avoid procrastination"

   synonyms:

   dithering, delaying tactics, dilatoriness, stalling, temporizing, hesitation, vacillation

This explains everything, why I'm up at 11pm finishing homework, why I seem to never complete things on time, why occasionally I won't post on my blog...
I am a procrastinator! Not even going to deny it. I put everything off for as long as possible, usually because I'm just not in the mood to do it or I feel that my time would be spent better elsewhere instead of doing homework. When they say, "Procrastination is the thief of time," they are not wrong. If I'm not in the mood to do something or I'm too lazy to do it then I will find some way, shape, or form of distraction to prevent doing it for as long as possible. Since I'm in fourth year and am starting into GCSEs and all that great stuff... Anyway my point is the last thing I need right now are distractions. However, the problem is they are every where! The way to stop procrastinating is to eliminate all distractions. I have decided to compile a list of how to eliminate distractions and ultimately stop procrastinating:

1. Put that phone away; personally my biggest distraction is my phone. After getting home from school I would allow myself 30 mins on my phone. I have an alarm set to ring after those 30 mins. Once the alarm rings I have to put my phone down (preferably in another room so that it's not sitting there in front of me as a distraction) and commence homework.

2. Set a deadline; make this realistic and achievable. If you know that homework is due for tomorrow then you are more likely to do it than if it is for next week. This can be great for studying. Tell yourself that you have 3 weeks to write out all your physics notes, you may find yourself working much harder and more frequently.

3. Reward yourself; set yourself targets and reward yourself once you meet them. You could say that once you have finished your English essay you will be allowed to eat some of your favourite snack. Or when you finish your history questions you are allowed 5 or 10 mins on your phone (don't allow yourself more than 15 mins or it will spiral out of control, set an alarm to remind you to go back to your homework after your time is up).

4. Stop the excuses; results matter, excuses don't. Get what you need done done. Stop all thoughts you might have of procrastination.


If you find that none of this is working I have one last tip that may just do the trick. I call it the 'last hope.'


5. The last hope; think about the very worst that could possibly happen if you don't complete this. If you have to revise for a test  but aren't feeling motivated then this too may just save your life and end your procrastination. Think how important this test is and if you fail it how annoyed your parents will be, also how you will ultimately fail all your exams because you're bad at revising, how you will not be able to go to university and will have no qualifications, which means no job which means you will have no money and it is all your own fault because you didn't revise for that test. Sounds overly dramatic and very extreme, but you may find the results to be surprising (unless you really don't care about any of that, I'd like to hope that wouldn't be the case).


Well, that's all my tips! Although these work for me they may not be as successful for you, you will have to give them a try to find out. However, please don't criticise me if you find that they don't work because everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you!
Hope you all have a lovely day and I'll post soon! Bye!

-El x 

Dreaming Of Flight!

Dreaming Of Flight!

As I compose this I am sitting back in my chair at about 700 feet. The sun is beaming through the window and little, fluffy white clouds lie forming a cosy blanket just below the the wings of the plane. How wonderful it feels to be gliding through the air, as the plane sails over oceans and cities all made to feel like miniature models of towns from this great height!

It's so peaceful, not a fuming car, nor a busy factory, nor a packed city centre to be seen. Everything to do with my normal, busy city life swept away and hidden by a thick layer of cloud. All that remains to be seen is the bright, pale blue sky of this early Thursday morning.

Just think this kind of travel didn't exist merely 250 years ago. It was unheard of, non existent, now it's a simple way of life - one in which we take for granted. We no longer appreciate what was once a far off dream, the ability to fly! To think we once envied the birds, the way they gracefully beat their wings and glided through the air.

However, flying is no longer a far off dream, it's an everyday reality - one that I feel should be appreciated so much more than it is. For without it travelling would be so much more difficult, trips would be so much longer and people would therefore travel much less frequently. So next time you sitting back on your seat at around 700 feet maybe have a look out the window or think to yourself how amazing it actually is to be able to fly. Appreciate how lucky we are and don't take flight for granted, because 250 years ago flight was just a far off dream!

 Thats just a little food for thought! Hope you are having an great day and I will talk to you all soon!
If you want to contact me all my info can be found in the 'Contact Me' section above!

-El x