Rule number one about your senior year: do NOT procrastinate. Senior year is a big time of change for a lot of people. This year will weed out who is really shooting for the stars and who is just going to settle for what is within their immediate grasp. But in order to keep your sanity, you have to stay on top of your game. Being organized is one of the most useful characteristics to have. Does your cell phone have a calendar feature? If it does, use it for what it's worth. If your cell phone doesn't, get crafty and make your own on the computer. But do what you have to do to have somewhere to write down all of your events. When you schedule your next dentist appointment for 6 months from now, put the date in your calendar. Don’t wait until the day after your appointment to find out you missed it. When you get your work schedule each week, put that in there, too. It seems like these are the things you would remember anyways, but to have everything in the same place makes it easier to break things down and really figure out what's going on. Think ahead, too. If you know you have a really important exam on a Wednesday, request to have that Tuesday night off work long in advance. That way, there will be no worries that you can get in a good amount of studying and still get a good night’s rest. When it comes to homework, use your time wisely. Do you have a class that is pretty slow-paced with a lot of down time? Bring homework from one of your harder classes. Your brain will already be turned on just because you are in a school setting, and that could be the most productive time of day for you. Sure, you might miss out on some chatting time with your friends, but catch up later. Try to prioritize, and keep school work high on the list. For tests, find out what works best for you. Repetition is the key to learning something, so make a stack of flashcards. Go through them over and over, mixing them up so you don't just memorize the order. And after the test, save them! The same information will probably show up on a later test or a final, so keep those around to study from again. And then there are friends. You probably have a couple friends who have never done a minute of homework, and they think you are crazy for even bringing a book home. Keep those friends around, but don't let them get in your head. If you are content with putting in a little extra effort to get more out of the situation, don't let anything get in your way. Have a big test tomorrow but you and your friends really wanted to go out for dinner? Get carry out and everybody gather at one house then spend time quizzing each other, clarifying things you might not be so sure about, and just relaxing a little. Cramming alone in your bedroom at 11 PM the night before the test is not the most effective way to study. When you finally get a night off, use it. Go to the park and play some pick up sports with your friends, or go to that movie you've been dying to see. As long as you stay organized and don’t over-book your time, senior year will be one of the most enjoyable years in your life. Don’t let it fly by.