Whether a senior or a freshman, keeping a good attitude at the end of the year is important. When I was assigned this story, I was nervous because I was struggling to balance homework, grades and golf, and I was0 just done with school after spring break, but I realized it would be good for me.

Step 1: Pay attention in class. If you want to be able to do well on tests you HAVE to listen to the teacher.  While it may be hard to unglue your face from your phone it is necessary to be attentive to attain any level of success in the classroom. I am also susceptible to this epidemic. I understand that it is easy to reply to a Snap, or check your Twitter feed, but if you can suffer a grueling 47 minute class period, the notifications will still be there after class.

Step 2: Do your homework. I am in both cross country and golf, and I am still able to finish all my homework with plenty of time to enjoy leisurely time afterwards if I focus. The problem is focusing in long enough to finish the work; it is easy to watch an episode of “The Office”, or play just one more round of Call of Duty, but if you want to attain a higher level of success you need to focus into the schoolwork. One way I have found that helps me be more productive is to work for 15-20 minutes and then take a five minute break. I am sure you have heard that hundreds of times, but it really works.

Step 3: Utilize time during the school day. You may think that GPS is stupid and waste time and think that watching Netflix or playing NBA Live Mobile is a good idea;but you can knock out a huge chunk of homework before you even leave school. GPS isn’t the only allotted time during the school day that you can use to your benefit; SSR is also a great time to work on homework that you received during the first four class periods, or work on the homework you were not able to finish that is due in the last two periods. If you make an effort each day to work for 20 minutes, you will most likely be surprised by the amount of homework you will be able to finish, and you still have 10 minutes to check Instagram or Twitter.

Step 4: Relax. Many times it is easy to stress out about all the homework you have for the night; but you can be your own worst enemy in that aspect. You have to worry about the present and trust that everything will work itself out. Sometimes it is easy to worry so much about the homework you were assigned the period before that you aren’t able to focus at all. Try to set out a half hour to do what you want to do, and the rest of the time you can work.

Step 5: Go outside. Sometimes just relaxing isn’t enough to ease all your stress. Many times enjoying an outdoor activity such as running a few miles, shooting a few hoops, or even just walking around the block can clear your head of all the stress that had built up during the day. While the opportunity to join school sports has passed this year, sports are a great in more than one way. Yes they keep you active and involved; but they provide a time to relive stress and socialize with your friends. I strongly encourage anyone not currently in a sport this year to try out for at least one school affiliated sport next year.

It is extremely easy to procrastinate and make excuses for not getting things done; it is hard to make changes and be successful in school, and in life. Following these steps will probably help, but it ultimately is up to you. You have the choice to either change your attitude or to give up when opposition and hardship shows its face.