I am not trying to speak for everyone, but over the years I’ve come to the realization that school isn’t the most fun or exciting place to be. The normal person in the U.S. spends over 8,884 hours over nine years to complete primary and secondary levels of education. This sounds like a lifetime amount of time, and it is if you look at it like that, but if I am being honest, I barely remember elementary school and middle school was a blur. Now I’m more than halfway through my education, I can’t believe how fast everything has been moving for me. Most students, including myself find it hard and exhausting to wake up everyday super early for school and come home to do homework just to repeat this cycle for years to come. But what if we actually found joy in going to school and being productive?

From an early age we’ve seen these depictions of school. Whether it was on Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, or in movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless. School life in those films made everything look so perfect but in reality, most of the time it’s not. High school wasn’t anything like how I imagined, but when I started. However, looking at it differently, romanticising it, school became something that I could overcome easier.

I would look on Pinterest or watch videos where I see these people who had everything planned out and they were super productive and organized. I wanted to be like them. They had everything figured out and they put themselves into environments that allowed them to be successful. Knowing this I began to shift the way I work. I found that I personally work better on hard surface like desks or tables rather than my bed or couch because it forces me to do my work rather than slacking off and laying in the same spot for hours. I also fill my workspace and surround myself with things I knew would make me feel productive and concentrated on my work. Headphones plugged in and playing music, snacks, and a planner by my side helped create an environment that I would associate with the “ideal” student.

Here is an example of videos I watch to help motivate me to be productive and school more enjoyable:

Allowing yourself to find the good in something that isn’t usually fun or exciting can help your overall mood and feeling about the subject. School may not be my favorite place to be, but finding exciting activities and clubs to participate in helped me endure through it.

Wrapping this up, I’ve learned that dealing with school and making it through the end of the day is difficult, however it only like this if you look at it that way. If you find the right people, mindset, and environment that inspire you to do better, and be a better person, your seemingly difficult, current situations can be overcame. Changing your perspective and surrounding yourself with things that make you feel safe and comforted help shape you into who you want to be in the future. Your mindset on how you want to be as a person determines your future. Allowing yourself to find the good in something that isn’t usually fun or exciting can help your overall mood and feeling about the subject.