Written by Sabrina Chen
It is only the first month of second semester of junior year, and I already have senioritis (or junioritis). This is a serious problem, as I have three semesters to go. In addition, I still have many items on my agenda that most seniors don’t necessarily have: SAT II subject tests, Advanced Placement (AP) tests and college application es- says. During this winter break, I discovered the stark contrast between my current be- havior and my behavior last semester.
Last semester, I was the typical “try hard.” Some days I would wake up at 5:30 a.m. to practice piano, and I would run everywhere instead of walk in order to save just a little bit of time. For example, I would
run straight from the car to the piano when I got home from golfing just to save the ex- tra ten seconds. I also rarely used social media or wasted time, as a minute saved was a minute earned. I had a strict bedtime at 10:30 p.m. in order to gain energy for the next day. I never slept in, as I had to wake up at 8 a.m. for SAT preparation on the weekends. Sometimes my mom asked me if I wanted dessert after dinner, but I refused because I didn’t have time to eat. I lived a very intense life.
Over this winter break, something went completely wrong. I would wake up at 11 a.m. and just lay in bed for the next two hours staring at my phone. I would walk to breakfast instead of run. I would go on Face- book for a couple of hours and watch funny videos on YouTube. Everything that I had planned during first semester for the break did not happen. I even ordered the wrong SAT II book, which meant that studying was literally impossible. I was just too lazy to move. I also developed a bad habit of using my phone on 1 percent battery because charging my phone was too much effort. Although school has started, my laziness, unfortunately, has stayed. Running from the car to the piano has now become walk- ing from the car to the fridge only to get a bowl of ice cream. The rush after dinner to start homework has become a leisurely stroll to the couch. On the upside, I started doing yoga: the pose where you lay down and just breathe. Whenever I get messages about homework or tests I calmly inform everyone that I will start soon. Also, my sis- ter is now my servant because I cannot go upstairs to get a textbook or walk the five steps to the TV remote. Just a few days ago, I decided to go with my mom to Safeway on a random school afternoon for maximum procrastination in the name of bonding
with my family.
Hopefully, I will eventually become as motivated as I was last semester. I do miss the adrenaline of sprinting to the piano immediately upon waking up.
