Overall Good Practices

• Sleep
• Good Nutrition
• Come prepared for class
• Choose your seat to maximize learning (Not Socializing)
• Pay attention in class
• Avoid procrastination
• Use Gchat, Facebook, texting, etc. as a reward for studying (Not while you are studying!)
• Study as you go
• Review nightly
• Highlight notes
• Ask for help immediately if a concept is not clear

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

In order for you to succeed, you have to believe in yourself and in your abilities. Here's a little story to help illustrate this idea:

Two high school athletes are preparing to compete against each other. They are the same size, and they have about the same athletic abilities. Everyone assumes that it will be an exciting match.
The first athlete runs out. He looks confident, and as he waits, he warms up and stretches. The people nearby hear him say to himself "I'm ready. I can do this."
The second athlete appears. He slowly shuffles out with his head down, and as he waits, he fidgets with his watch. Those nearby hear him mutter, "I'm gonna get killed."
Two athletes, same size, same abilities...Even before the competition begins, everyone knows who's going to win.

Whether you're an athlete preparing for a competition or a student tackling a difficult subject, it's important that you believe in yourself. You need to recognize the talents and abilities you have, and you must believe that you can succeed!

Make a list of the classes that you are currently taking. Next to each one, write down the highest grade you think you can earn in each class this quarter.
Think of these grades as your goals for the quarter. Believe in yourself, and believe that you can achieve your goals!

Productivity and Task Management

There is a huge market for productivity and task management software, and an accordingly large number of applications and subcategories to fill the niche. This includes to-do lists, calendaring and hybrid forms for both mobile and non-mobile platforms.
There are multiple pages of apps filed under productivity in both iTunes and the Google Play store. Many can be used on your phone, as well as online from any computer.

Here are some that are good and FREE:
Remember the Milk (prioritize assignments, estimate time, add tags, due dates)

Google Calendar (mostly for scheduling, easy color-coding, can add notes to events)
Soshiku (manage high school assignments, set-up alerts via email or text)

Toodledo (Can integrate with online calendars, collaborate and share tasks with others, very customizable)

Brainstorming

There are a number of different apps for smart phones or computers that will allow you to visually brainstorm (and some let you share and collaborate with others). This type of tool would be useful during the beginning stages of research projects or essay outlines.

Some available programs/apps to check out:
XMind
FreeMind
Mindomo
Mindmeister
Cmap
Comapping (real-time mind map editing from multiple users; ideal for group projects)

Here's a sample screenshot from FreeMind: