If you’re anything like me, whether you’re a senior in high school or college, you are probably suffering from a bad case of “senioritis.” This particular type of procrastination often happens when you are focused on the idea of walking across the stage to grab your diploma. I experienced the feeling when I graduated from high school, and I’m experiencing it again now, as I plan to graduate from college this December.

Here are some strategies I find helpful when looking to cure “senioritis.”

TREAT YOURSELF

Spend time with friends and family, go to the movies or a concert, golf (if the weather permits), eat out, take a road trip, hike, visit a museum or spend a few hours at the gym.

By taking some time to treat yourself, you can de-stress and refocus on the tasks that need to be completed for your classes.

ORGANIZE AND SCHEDULE YOUR DAYS

Write down and schedule all of your tasks for each day, the night before. In doing so, you can stay on track, without having to try to remember everything on the fly. Think of it like writing down your goals and the steps to achieve those goals; the tasks are the steps and how you choose to relax in the evenings (e.g., hang out with friends or family, watch Netflix, etc.) are the goals.

Along with organizing and scheduling your days, start a countdown calendar. It’s an amazing feeling to take that big, fat red sharpie marker and cross out a day each time you wake up.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

Pulling all-nighters is not a quick fix and will only hurt you in the long run. To be honest, I have a hard time understanding how people do it, with or without caffeine. And, this is based on personal experiences, from having roommates who pulled all-nighters Monday through Friday every week.

Instead of pulling an all-nighter, stay productive during your day. For example, set an alarm on your phone or iPod for 10 p.m. or so. When the alarm goes off, that’s your signal to end your day and go to bed.

GO TO CHURCH

Church is one place where we can take all of our distractions, doubts and fears to God and let them go.

Some passages of Scripture I recommend reading and studying (yes, I said “reading and studying”… two words you’re probably not thrilled to hear right now) are Psalm 16:7-11 and 119:105-106, Deuteronomy 31:8, Jeremiah 29:11 and Isaiah 26:3-4.

There are many more passages of Scripture, but this is a good place to start. And to take it one step further, pray daily!

CONCLUSION

Unfortunately, these habits aren’t going to develop overnight, it takes time for changes to occur. But, this list is a good starting point with suggestions, based on my personal experience and what has worked for me in the past. With that being said, you will have to figure out exactly what works best for you.

Graduation, from high school or college, is an amazing experience! The moment you walk across the stage to grab your diploma, after years of working hard to achieve your goal, is priceless. You end one part of your journey and start a new one. Don’t let senioritis get in your way!