The alarm went off at seven in the morning, and I instantly shut it off.. It started again at seven fifteen, and was shut off again. Ringing once more at seven twenty-five, it finally was able to wail for a bit. Soon, I picked up my phone and slowly raised a finger to silence it.

I woke up.

Sitting in my bed for a moment, I asked myself, “Do I really need this school day?”

“Couldn’t I just call in sick?”

No, I had to go to school. Getting out of bed was a challenge, as my baggy eyes kept drooping closed and my body screamed to dive back into the bed. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I looked at the tired mess that I had become. I went to sleep past eleven-thirty that night, and I hadn’t even finished my homework. I knew that I had fooled around until nine, and even then I distracted myself. As I reached into the cabinet for my contacts, I silently lamented why I was doing this to myself. Going to sleep late, not doing my homework on time, could there be something to change my habits? I sighed as I started to wash my tired face, wondering if there was anything that could change how my life was rolling out.

Like any other school day, I tried to make the best of my classes. I was able to survive french, my hardest class, and history was surprisingly fine. Gym and science classes were the same as always, and after lunch I headed to my school’s study den to stay for the remainder of period five and the rest of period six. When I found a vacant desk, I took out the usual contents of my backpack: paper, my pencil case, and my planner. Usually, I would think over and over in my head that I would turn my academic life around and start being productive in school, but quickly after I would start drawing and promise myself that I would start my homework the minute I got home from school. However, this time was different, as I laid my head on my palm for a bit. That break in my usual school schedule prompted something to click in my head.

“Hey,” I thought to myself. “Wouldn’t it be great if I had no homework to do when I got home?”

Almost robotic, I opened my planner and looked at what I had to do. Soon when period six came to a close, I had been able to finish three-quarters of it with only a small task left. Leaving the study den gave me a burst of energy, like I had just gotten first place and experienced the rush after complete surprise.

After school, I could not believe what I did. ‘How dare I put schoolwork in front of my fun time’! But the release I felt at nine at night was something to savor. I only had to do one worksheet and all my homework was finished for the day. Hours of distracting myself and doing homework at the same time all turned into time to enjoy myself. Like magic, I felt way more refreshed the next morning. I was still tired, but I had the feeling that I could finally make things better for myself.