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Sjoe, thats quite a subject list you've got going on there. High-school teacher here, and this is what I'd say: 1) Matric is a marathon, not a sprint. Trying to dedicate yourself to study timetables and such from day 1 will most likely result in a burnout. Work hard, but make sure you take time to enjoy things with your friends or events at school. 2) You should start thinking seriously about which Universities to apply for, local or international. For bursaries/scholarships you'll need a fair bit of information in your application, so start working on that sooner rather than later. 3) You mentioned that you're struggling with some of your subjects. Talk to your teachers to see what you can do/what help they can offer. Going through your report comments from the end of last year is a great way to get an immediate idea of what you need to do to get better. 4) At some point in the year you will, most likely, have a bit of a breakdown. And that's okay =) mine happened after trials, and it sucked but I got though it. It's important to know and use healthy coping mechanisms to help you deal with the stress. For me that was stargazing and music, but whatever works for you is good. That's what I've got off the top of my head. Good luck and enjoy the year. Addendum - You say you're struggling with commitment and a plan. With the commitment, focus on the end goal of it all. Sit by yourself somewhere quiet and meditate/ponder about where you want to be, what kind of life you want to live and what you want to study. When you're struggling to stay committed, and you will (we all do =)), take a moment to quiet yourself and remember what you're doing this for. When you get to the point where study timetables are a thing, write it out and stick it above your desk/locker/in your homework diary. It's important to prepare well beforehand - I've seen many students cram for assessments and they're always stressed and their marks are almost always bad. It's tempting to think we are the exception to such things, but take it from a professional, you probably aren't =) remind yourself of where you're going when its tough to carry on. Take a break, relax, and then continue! Edit part 2 electric Boogaloo You say you're struggling with maths, science and life sciences. Of you're comfortable sharing the symbols, what are your marks? Some of the advice I've given above is a bit irrelevant/wrong if you're failing those 3 subjects.

Hello! Thank you for such an in depth response :) I usually get around a code 3 to 4 for those subjects

If you don’t feel motivated, (which is the majority of us on any given day), start with one thing, square the shoulders and do ONE extra math problem which isn’t homework. We get motivation from action, not listening to a ted talk. When we force ourselves to start something, blunder through it and eventually get it right, it feels good, that creates the motivation to try another (eg math problem) and it becomes easier. It’s the start of the year, so you have a bit of time to get into it. Ask for help, it’s not a weakness nor a reflection of your character to ask for help, it’s a strength. If you’re stuck, ask, ask and ask again. If your brain dies while studying and you find yourself staring at the squiggles on the paper, take a break and go do something physical, don’t flop into your gaming chair, your brain needs a break and a walk around the block with your dog will give you that. Then go back to the work. Get into a flexible routine, make time for homework and reviewing your work at 3pm on Monday, 6pm on Tuesday, 4pm on Wednesday etc. Fridays you take a break and go hang with your friends.

Writing this as I am awaiting my results. You mustve heard this a 1000 times but the answer is past papers and past papers only. Aim to do AT LEAST from 2022-2016 including supps where you can. I know this sounds too much. Thing is, you dont have to sit and do each paper. For subjects like life science, just have the paper and memo open in 2 tabs and learn like that. For maths and physics, try and attempt the papers.