Jeremy Bernstein
Writer '20
Every year, people make empty promises to themselves as per New Year’s Eve tradition. However, most of them give up by the end of January. This is unfortunate since New Year’s Eve symbolizes the beginning of a new life, a fresh start. The two most common resolutions for people in school, usually high school or college-aged, are getting more sleep and studying more efficiently. These resolutions, or at least the resolution of more sleep, are ultimately thrown down the drain due to the burden of work. Both sleeping and studying more are critical resolutions teenagers should try to keep throughout high school and the rest of their careers. Unfortunately, life is only going to get harder, and many don’t see a route to succeeding in these two fields.
While it may seem impossible to keep resolutions after January, there are some tricks and tips to get past this “barrier”. The first tip is to keep your resolution simple. Large bucket lists are hard and annoying to follow. In fact, aiming too far might not get you anywhere at all. Secondly, it's important to make reachable goals. Make sure to believe in yourself throughout the year. When people fail to commit to the challenge, they blame themselves for not putting in the effort. However, it is not willpower that pushes people to follow their resolutions, but the feeling of determination that put in that willpower to accomplish their goals. Finally, make a resolution obvious, such as making a clear “to-do” list.
To many students, studying may be the challenging part of school. Homework, clubs, sports and other commitments delay and sometimes prevent studying altogether. It is always important to study to refresh your mind on the material and be prepared for any upcoming assessment. Cramming information, as many can verify, is never a good alternative. Therefore, it’s important to get a head start even before the teacher announces an upcoming exam. Secondly, it’s important to plan time accordingly. Organizing the amount of time spent on each topic or subject can be done by creating alarms, making to-do lists, setting time limits or even creating the old-fashioned wall planner. Not only is this ideal for studying, these goals also help with completing homework faster and getting more hours of sleep each night. Thirdly, take breaks during studying sessions. Eat a snack, take a quick nap or talk to a friend. Most importantly, ask for or go to extra help either alone or with an equally-struggling friend. Teachers are willing to answer any questions as long as they are prepared ahead of time. Regardless, make sure questions are relevant to what is being taught in class. In addition, it is always important to go to ask questions in class as well because teachers will notice extra appreciation for their class.
According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of the world’s population reaches their New Year’s goals annually. However, think of this as being 8% less impossible. Although achieving a goal is not easy, it can be simplified by two core practices. Remember to plan out time for each resolution. Without time management, to-do list’s will be unorganized and unnecessary, and will eventually be thrown away. Organization is also extremely important and by making everything organized and obvious, allows the goal to be easier to accomplish.
Writer '20
Every year, people make empty promises to themselves as per New Year’s Eve tradition. However, most of them give up by the end of January. This is unfortunate since New Year’s Eve symbolizes the beginning of a new life, a fresh start. The two most common resolutions for people in school, usually high school or college-aged, are getting more sleep and studying more efficiently. These resolutions, or at least the resolution of more sleep, are ultimately thrown down the drain due to the burden of work. Both sleeping and studying more are critical resolutions teenagers should try to keep throughout high school and the rest of their careers. Unfortunately, life is only going to get harder, and many don’t see a route to succeeding in these two fields.
While it may seem impossible to keep resolutions after January, there are some tricks and tips to get past this “barrier”. The first tip is to keep your resolution simple. Large bucket lists are hard and annoying to follow. In fact, aiming too far might not get you anywhere at all. Secondly, it's important to make reachable goals. Make sure to believe in yourself throughout the year. When people fail to commit to the challenge, they blame themselves for not putting in the effort. However, it is not willpower that pushes people to follow their resolutions, but the feeling of determination that put in that willpower to accomplish their goals. Finally, make a resolution obvious, such as making a clear “to-do” list.
To many students, studying may be the challenging part of school. Homework, clubs, sports and other commitments delay and sometimes prevent studying altogether. It is always important to study to refresh your mind on the material and be prepared for any upcoming assessment. Cramming information, as many can verify, is never a good alternative. Therefore, it’s important to get a head start even before the teacher announces an upcoming exam. Secondly, it’s important to plan time accordingly. Organizing the amount of time spent on each topic or subject can be done by creating alarms, making to-do lists, setting time limits or even creating the old-fashioned wall planner. Not only is this ideal for studying, these goals also help with completing homework faster and getting more hours of sleep each night. Thirdly, take breaks during studying sessions. Eat a snack, take a quick nap or talk to a friend. Most importantly, ask for or go to extra help either alone or with an equally-struggling friend. Teachers are willing to answer any questions as long as they are prepared ahead of time. Regardless, make sure questions are relevant to what is being taught in class. In addition, it is always important to go to ask questions in class as well because teachers will notice extra appreciation for their class.
According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of the world’s population reaches their New Year’s goals annually. However, think of this as being 8% less impossible. Although achieving a goal is not easy, it can be simplified by two core practices. Remember to plan out time for each resolution. Without time management, to-do list’s will be unorganized and unnecessary, and will eventually be thrown away. Organization is also extremely important and by making everything organized and obvious, allows the goal to be easier to accomplish.