Temporarily Brain Dead

     A word to the wise: never procrastinate.

     It's alluring. You are aware of your educational ability and skill. You know you can handle the work, it should be easy.
     But get this, you can't do all that work in one night without passing out and just getting a C.
     People most of the time pretend they're hearing this piece of advice, but in their heads- this advice mutates into some kind of challenge. It's as if their brain is saying, "What do you mean I can't do it in one night? I've done it before, it should be cool enough to do again."
     Yeah, that's what everyone says until they have a huge test the next day and they've realized that one night of cramming would totally not help their situation at that very given moment.

     Our APUSH teacher literally just gave us this huge lecture on studying, taking notes, and listening to his lessons because the class's grade average on our last test was a C minus.
     Yikes.
     I mean, I did pretty well, I got a good grade, but I know that the result could've been much higher and up to par with my usual standards if I had studied properly, and I could've even finished earlier if I bothered to take the time getting the main ideas cemented into my head.
     This isn't the only time that my procrastination has ever interfered with a good grade and a good sense of self esteem. There were even tiny math projects that turned out pretty sad and poorly constructed because I decided to leave it all to the last minute. My grade in my AP World class even dropped to D once- all because I procrastinated on my work and decided not to turn it in until the very last minute (which was terrible, it had me doing twenty pages of homework in one night- don't ever attempt to do the same thing). 
     But with all experience behind this experienced high-schooler, it is safe to say: Don't Procrastinate.


     How do we avoid procrastination, though? It's so easy to fall into the sweet trap of not having any work for tonight because you're pushing all your work into the next night.
     Well, for starters, you can get organized.
     Organization is key to making sure all your work is done on time and turned in promptly. I've learned my lesson on what happens if one doesn't keep track of all their school work- so I've bought a planner so that I could jot down my work for the night, or what's supposedly due in two weeks, or what I have to turn in virtually through the school's website.
     While it is a good idea to have a planner around, there's also the fact that you have to get used to the idea of having a planner around. Most people haven't been given a planner every year, and I haven't been a handed a planner made by the school administrators themselves since middle school. So there's the other fact that getting used to a planner may take a while. When I was going through my sophomore year, I had a planner then, but then quickly forgot to use it as often as I should have- leaving me to piles of homework that I have forgotten to complete and several missing assignments all because I forgot to catch up or didn't feel obligated to my work.
     It takes a certain level of discipline and dedication to make sure you're on top of your work. You have to ask yourself, "Do I really want that A? Do I really want that good score? Do I really want to make all of the hard work I've done so far worth it in the end?"
     Because that good score of yours won't be worth it if it's just some kind of magnificent college party trick that works only three out of the ten times you've attempted it.

     So let this be a word of warning: Get your s*** together, kid.