"Describe one New Year's resolution that will help you become a better student in 2016." by Christine

"Describe one New Year's resolution that will help you become a better student in 2016." by Christine - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

My New Year’s resolution is to start my morning one hour earlier as it will make me a better student in 2016. Specifically, I want to begin it with prayer/meditation, stretching, and writing 3 pages of freehand journaling.

By starting my day one hour earlier I will be forced plan better the night before. By “loosing” that hour of sleep in the morning I will need to gain it back at night by going to be earlier. This will help me from procrastinating on Facebook or mindlessly watching Netflix episodes that I really don’t need to be watching anyways. Going to sleep earlier will help me focus on getting everything ready for the next day before going to bed. This will consist of: what I’m going to wear, packing my gym bag, making sure I have all my books and papers for the next day’s classes, prepping my snacks and Hydroflask, etc. This will also make me focus on getting my reading, writing, and other projects done so that I can get a restful night’s sleep.

When I wake up in the morning I will already feel like I have more time in my day because I’ve planned it that way. No more throwing on clothes, grabbing my satchel, throwing my hair up, grabbing the first thing I find in the fridge, and then rushing out the door. With the extra time I have planned and allowed myself I will be able to wake up easily. Having silent time to just breathe and be thankful for the life I have been allowed will permit me to start my day in a positive way. Then being able to stretch and wake up my body’s muscles for the long day ahead will give me a few minutes of cat-like bliss; slowly twisting and turning and allowing my limbs to awaken from their comatose state. Next comes the freehand writing. Pure stream-of-consciousness writing. I’ve already starting doing this along with the freehand writing and I can honestly say that some of my best “Ah-ha!” moments come from these pages. Solutions to problems I’m encountering in my life seem to falls into my lap or onto my page. It’s an amazing technique and if nothing else it helps me to organize my “To Do” list for the day and sometimes the week.

By starting my day one hour earlier I have already become more organized, more peaceful, and better prepared for my day than I was before. By continuing this resolution I will succeed at being a better student in 2016.