Being a high school student is not easy. For some people, getting A’s on tests while balancing sports and activities is a piece of cake. For me, it’s always been a struggle. I entered high school as a freshman with no idea how to have a work ethic, manage my time or even study. Even now, a year later, I still feel like I have no clue. Through this blog, I want to document the things I learn throughout my high school years so that I can improve on being a student and hopefully help others who need just as much help as I do.

Starting out a new year means a fresh start and an opportunity to set goals that will better myself, especially as a student. For 2017, I have made 5 resolutions to guide me through the year.

1. Do all my work sitting at my desk. This past year I have been coming home everyday from school and lying down on my bed to do my homework. I can’t help it sometimes, when I come home from school I’m so tired and sitting at a desk with my shoulders back and my head up is so hard. However, what I’ve noticed is that laying down on a bed to do homework just makes everything worse. I’m so much more susceptible to falling asleep when I’m already in the position to do so. Sitting at a desk, although sometimes painful, helps me focus and stay awake.
2. Start my homework right when I get home from school. I think this one will be the hardest to achieve. Usually when I get home, it’s 3:45 and I don’t start my homework until around 5 pm. What I do in between? I honestly don’t know, I’m either laying around watching videos on my phone or sleeping. I have had rare days of productivity where I immediately start my homework when I come from school and those are the days where I get the most done. I want to have more days like that this upcoming new year.
3. Go to sleep at an earlier time. Sleep is so important. Running on four hours of sleep everyday is getting increasingly hard. The worst thing about school, for me, is having to sit in a classroom for fifty minutes and forcing my eyes open so that I don’t fall asleep. In 2017, my goal is to finish all the work I have to do quickly, without being distracted, so that I can go to sleep at an earlier time.
4. Stop making excuses. I’m tired of making excuses for myself that I don’t have time to do something. No matter how busy my day is, I can always make time to do something productive. When I’m free during lunch I can always go to the library for some of the period and work on homework so I have more time when I come home to do other work and finish everything I need to.  
5. Make time to do things I love. Life shouldn’t revolve around school. This year, I want to have enough time to do the things I love, which means that I have to be even more productive with time management. School may be a priority but it doesn’t have to be the only one. Personal hobbies and interests are the things that keep me motivated to work hard, so it makes sense that I should work on them to improve just as much as I work on getting good grades in school.