High School burnout is very real, and, as most of us have found out by now, hits especially hard at the end of the school year. Once winter ends and the grass starts to turn green again, it’s hard to stay focused when the only thing on your mind is summer vacation. However, end of the year grades matter just as much as they do at the beginning of the year. So how do you stay motivated throughout the end of the year? Here are some tips and tricks for getting those assignments done on time and done well.

• Create a system of goals and rewards. Setting goals is important to getting assignments done. It’s unreasonable to expect yourself to sit down and finish all of your assignments in one sitting without any breaks. For example, allow yourself to watch 20 minutes of your favorite show for every new page you write of your essay. Make sure that the goal you set for yourself is reasonable. In doing this, you will break up the task into manageable chunks and give yourself something to look forward to.

• Stay on a schedule. Know what time of the day you are most productive and schedule that time into your agenda, so that you ensure your work is done. If you’re a night person, you might add an hour into your night routine to do homework. If you’re a morning person, you might wake up an hour earlier to finish your assignment.

• Create a change in the environment. Doing homework in your bed or at your kitchen table might be easier, but for most people it is much less appealing. Creating a change in scenery, such as studying at your favorite coffee shop or at the Public Library, makes the assignment seem more appealing. An added bonus is that when you are in a different environment you are less likely to slack off and get distracted.

• Divide up the work. If you know you have a huge project due at the end of the week, divide the project up and give yourself a little bit of time every night rather than doing the project all in one night. It might be harder to convince yourself to do, but you’ll be thanking yourself in the end.

Make time for your social life. While school is important, it isn’t everything. Staying home every night to do homework is not realistic. Allow yourself to have a night out with friends or to go to brunch. If it feels like you don’t have enough time for this, compromise by having a study date!