As the school year comes to an end, students tend to give up the hard work they had previously been putting in.

The past few weeks of school are when there is often a decline in motivation and willingness to put in the work. It’s common for students to start the year with a bang, and then slowly decline throughout the rest of the year.

Second semester always seems to be a drag, but after spring break, students tend to adopt the mindset that it’s already summer.

Here’s a few tips to keep the motivation up as the school year wraps up.

Remember that you’re almost there
Reminding yourself that you only have a few weeks left can help keep you motivated to continue. Ideally, the final weeks will fly by and you’ll have all of summer to relax. Pushing yourself now will allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment when summer does finally come.

Set goals for yourself
Focus on what you need to accomplish between now and the end of the school year, and set personal goals. Some examples could be finishing all assignments, staying caught up with homework, and studying for tests. These goals will give you small things to celebrate when you accomplish them.

Reward yourself
If you’re someone who is motivated by rewards, set up a system for yourself. Maybe buying yourself something nice or going out with friends could be your personal reward for reaching goals you might have made.

Set up a schedule
Since there are normally so many things happening in the final weeks of school, it can seem overwhelming. Juniors are already seeing college applications in their future, and seniors are closing out their last year of high school. These things can be a lot to handle on their own, and being expected to stay a strong student is definitely not easy. Especially for AP students, having AP tests right around the corner might feel scary. Creating a personal schedule for yourself and making sure you know exactly what events and assignments you have coming up might help you feel a bit more relaxed.

Don’t be too hard on yourself
A full year of school always takes a toll on students mentally. Days of constantly waking up early, cramming as much information into your brain as possible, traveling to after school activities, doing endless amounts of homework, and maybe not getting much sleep can seriously affect your mental health. As the school year ends, think of some things you are proud of. As much as you should keep up the hard work, it’s equally important that you don’t overexert yourself in the final few weeks.

Get rid of big distractions
Eliminate the things that are preventing you from reaching your overall goals. If there are obvious things in your life that you know are keeping you from reaching your fullest potential, temporarily get rid of them or use them in moderation until the school year is over.

Surround yourself with positive people
Having a supportive group of friends and family is an important part of keeping your mental health strong throughout the end of the school year. Doing things alone can be difficult if your motivation is already running low. Also, having people to hold you accountable is very helpful in reaching success.