My carefree summer was spent being with friends, going to the lake and playing lots of tennis. However, summer must come to an end and the school year must begin. This left me in a frenzy as I tried to manage the time I suddenly no longer had. I was struggling to meet the deadlines of not only my school work, but also my extracurriculars. Just as I completed one task, I had three more looming ahead. I allowed this stress to build up until it even began to negatively affect my mood.

However, since the school year started, I discovered the best way to manage my time was by eliminating distractions, not stressing too much and not procrastinating my work. It sounds very simple, and life would be a lot easier if it were that easy.

By procrastinating your work, you’re doing yourself and your grades a disservice. The longer you procrastinate, the more the quality of your work deteriorates. Putting off the task at hand gives you less time to plan ahead to complete it. By the time you’re done procrastinating, your brain is already tired and can’t function on its highest level. This will end up affecting your grades, and your future as a student. You should do your best to complete your work as soon as you receive it to achieve the grades you want.

Procrastinating also causes unnecessary stress and puts a lot of strain on your emotions due to the uncertainty of completion that comes with it. Worrying over the amount of work you have won’t allow you to complete the work any faster, it will only lengthen the process. Then there’s the issue of staying up late to finish the work you neglected earlier in the day. This not only makes students’ coffee intake to increase the next morning, but will also create even more unnecessary stress. Completing your work as soon as possible will prevent any emotional strain and help to keep you in high spirits.

Time management in high school is not easy, but it is possible. The first step to finding the time to achieve your goals is by ending your procrastination.