Now well into the second semester, many seniors are likely beginning to experience senioritis: a real condition with psychological causes that can manifest in the form of reluctance to complete home and classroom assignments, a desire to skip school, and procrastination.
“[The hardest part] of being a second semester senior is finding motivation every single day and being able to put as much effort into your work as you used to,” said Janvi Metha (‘24).
If you find yourself in this boat, here are five tips you can utilize to help beat senioritis.
1. Priotizize Organization
“One of the best ways to battle senioritis is to continue to prioritize organization,” said Manassa Sankarakrishnan (‘24).
Making a list of tasks you have to complete daily, as well as keeping track of long-term deadlines can help you tackle senioritis by helping to prioritize your time. Also, having an organized space can help improve your desire to work and lead to better peace of mind.
2. Keep The Future in Mind
You’ve worked hard all your life to get to where you are now – on the other end of college applications and looking forward to the future.
“It helps to keep your end goals in mind,” said Sankarakrishnan.
By remembering what you’ve worked for all these years, you might be able to reignite your passion and gain motivation.
3. Stay on Top of Things
“I think a lot of it is staying on top of the work you already have, like assignments and things, sometimes it’s really easy to fall behind. But, often teachers will continue to repeat the work, you just have to pay attention.” said Mehta.
By completing assignments as soon as they are assigned, and then getting them out of the way, you can then redirect your focus to doing things that you actually want to do – like sleeping or hanging out with friends.
4. Stay Engaged
Continuing to participate in extracurricular activities can help build motivation and help you maintain a schedule. It can also provide you with a sense of belonging to the high school community, even as you look forward to college.
5. Have Fun!
“One of the hardest parts of senior year is balancing my social and school life,” explained Sankarakrishnan.
Though the idea of relaxing and having fun might seem counterintuitive to battling senioritis, taking breaks to relax and hang out with friends is always important. Part of the reason why you might be struggling with motivation is burnout, so it’s important to rest and recharge.
However, keep track of your priorities: build time into your schedule to relax, but make sure to also carve out time to work.