Vivienne Yan, Period 2, 12/3/20, Day A

Vivienne Yan
Period 2 Modern Mythology
12/3/20
Day A

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

Having been at home for the past months, I realized just how quickly time flies by. Just a few months ago I was still a junior, unaware of the impending deadlines awaiting me in my senior year of high school. As a senior now, it seems as though my workload is constantly increasing while I keep running out of time to complete them all. With classes moved online due to COVID-19, I find myself struggling more so with my lack of motivation and my constant procrastination. Evidently, I can’t continue to procrastinate like I currently do. My current goals are to follow a set sleep schedule, complete my school work on time, and polish my college applications. While I have made small adjustments to my sleep schedule, as of now I find myself still struggling to balance my schoolwork and my college applications. When I am caught up with my college application deadlines, I find myself falling behind in my schoolwork and vice versa. The accumulating stress of trying to balance my workloads sometimes overwhelms me and I end up staying awake throughout the long hours of the night to complete my assignments. My lack of sleep then ends up interfering with my academic performance in class, so I also need to find a schedule that won’t overwhelm me.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

My motivation disappears relatively quickly, so it is hard for me to maintain focus on my work. My main source of distraction is my phone, so whenever I start working I turn it on airplane mode so I won’t get any notifications. I also use my phone to record a time lapse of myself working so I can’t use it. Surprisingly, this method helps me get more work done, as I pretend as if someone is watching me work through my phone. When working on my laptop, I use a website blocker so I can’t access any non-work related sites for a set amount of time. My sleep schedule is still a work in progress, however I have managed to sleep slightly earlier than I used to. As for my breaks, I stretch and replenish my body with snacks and water and take frequent breaks to avoid burnout. While there are days where I absolutely do not want to do any work, I make sure to complete my assignments for the day and reward myself by spending time doing something I enjoy. It is difficult to make new habits, but knowing that I am lessening my stress each and every day keeps me going.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

When talking with friends, we sometimes talk about our stresses and how much work we have done. Some of my friends are at the top of their games, having completed work far ahead of their deadlines. When I hear about how much they have gotten done, I gain the motivation to work on my assignments. Sometimes we host meetings where we do work together, like a study session, to be more productive. My biggest motivating factor, however, is when I catch up with my cousins. The majority of my cousins are in college and graduate schools, and they tell me of how they’re spending their days to get their work done. College is my next step, and when I hear of how my cousins are managing their times, I realize that I have it far better compared to them and that I need to change my actions. After all, I will be attending college soon, and that means that I need to learn to manage my time a lot better than I am currently. The excitement and relief when I complete task after task brings me such happiness and gives me a little bit of extra time to do extra things like reviewing my essays with friends.