We’ve all done it. Came home from school, taken a nap, maybe watched some Netflix, and before you know it, it’s eight o’clock and absolutely no homework has gotten done. I know that feeling very well, and as a Junior with enough homework to drive me absolutely nuts, procrastination is probably the worst idea I can have. Yet you can still catch me barely looking at my planner until 7:30, then staying up into the late hours of the night trying to force my brain to remember the parts of the unit circle.

This week, I challenged myself to put down the Instagram, stop playing games, and actually study at reasonable hours of the day, instead of late at night. It definitely sounds crazy, but I was willing to step up to this challenge.

My journey began on Saturday morning, when after my early swim practice I forced myself to do math, instead of watching Netflix. Getting homework done on Saturday instead of on Sunday night like I usually do was a change, but a welcome one. I actually got enough sleep on Sunday night and didn’t spend the weekend stressed and guilty for not doing my work when I should be.

Both Monday and Tuesday I got home and started my homework at three, instead of at eight like usual. Once again, it was a huge stress reliever and helpful for my sleep schedule. I got to eat dinner with my family and actually hang out with my brother for a bit, a huge change from my usual routine of locking myself in my room all night to study.

Block day came and guess what? I did my homework assigned on Wednesday on Wednesday. Thursday came and went with no stress and we moved on to the end of the week.

Highschoolers are known for having ridiculous amounts of homework, staying up into the ungodly hours of the night studying, and waking up early to finish reading for AP Lang, but in reality, most of us don’t have that much homework. By pushing it off until later into the night, we create more stress and less sleep. A deadly combination if I’ve ever heard one.

Maybe try, even just for a week, doing your homework a bit earlier. It could help more than you’d ever think it would.