First semester is done, meaning we have new chances, opportunities, and experiences to grow from. However, going into the new semester can also bring bad habits from last semester—procrastination, bad time management, poor sleep, and bad studying techniques, which won’t make for a productive semester. There are so many good habits that can make school and life more productive, and it can’t hurt to at least try these habits.
Starting fresh is easier said than done. There are still all these lingering habits that can’t just disappear magically. It takes time and perseverance to really make this type of impact on your life. Mrs. Walters, an English teacher at Berkley High School, suggests “removing yourself from the environment where you find you’re doing that bad habit.” For example, if it is loud noise that is distracting you, go to a quiet room. If it’s your phone, put it in the bathroom while you work. These are simple things that can help against procrastination and distractions.
Along with leaving the bad environment, another way to break habits is to make it difficult to do. Finding a way to make the habits feel unenjoyable will make you not want to do them. You could put your phone away, delete an app for a little bit, sit alone, or put away any distracting materials. Another way you could do this is by setting an alarm every five minutes while you’re doing the bad habit, or maybe setting a screen-time limit on your phone. This technique is easy to do, and is liked by many. Mrs. Walters said,“So figuring out how to make those bad habits not fun and hard to do”. By doing this, it will make the habits not as fun and force you to do your work.
Like I’ve said, breaking habits needs dedication. However, with that dedication it can make a big difference in your everyday life. And now with the bad habits gone, there is now room for improvement! This means making some new habits and goals for yourself. However, much like removing habits, this cannot be done overnight. It is a process that takes patience and dedication. It may be hard to start in the beginning, but it can really make an overall difference in your life. Mrs. Weiss, a Berkley High School Counselor, contributes by saying, “I think about taking small, consistent steps. So something like setting a goal at the beginning of the week. Students who do these things consistently and then can add on to their goals, I think, are the ones who will find the most success.” Along with that, a very similar idea is to track a good habit like a streak: the longer it goes, the less you want to break it. Along with that, there are other ways as well, to start habits. According to Atomic Habits author, James Clear, making these new habits attractive(something you enjoy), easy to do(start small and build up), satisfying(reward yourself after), and obvious(visual reminders) are great ways to keep it up.
There are lots of habits that are beneficial to your life. Things like finding new study techniques, doing your homework when you get home, taking 20 minutes a night to read, locking your phone away at a certain time, or using a planner to write all your tests and assignments in. Along with that, a great way to stay organized with everything is to use a calendar. It could be online, on paper, or on a whiteboard. Calendars help you keep track of assignments for school, important dates, and deadlines. You can also link your Google Calendar to Schoology, so assignments will automatically pop up. Mrs. Walters remarked, “If students find a way to put everything together in one calendar…I think that’s a really good strategy, a good way of making sure that you have everything in one place.” Along with a good calendar, another helpful tip would be to check your email daily. There could be important club or school information, or a message from your teacher, which would be really beneficial to check. Mrs. Weiss agreed and added, “You should also try to get into the habit of writing things down”.
There are so many ways to change your life for the better, and making new habits can be one. It is really important to make sure that you keep it up, and don’t resort back to old ways. If you keep at it, these habits will help you not only throughout high school, but throughout all your life. Will you try to make these new habits?
