My #1 Rule for High School

I'm a only sophomore, but I think I have things (mostly) figured out at this point. My approach towards High School is different than anyone I know. It makes my life a ton easier and I figured that it is worth sharing.

Here's my #1 Rule:

EFFICIENCY

I am not a perfectionist by any means. Instead, I focus on getting things completed. I sum up my philosophy with this phrase: I take the exact amount of time required to complete the task exactly as the directions state. In other words, I don't go "above and beyond", I don't procrastinate, and I don't stress. 

The less you focus on doing things perfectly and the more you focus on actually getting things done, the easier your life will become. You will have more time on your hands and be more productive. You will get everything done that is required, and you will always get good grades.

Don't mistake this as a shortcut to not work as hard; you're working just as hard (and even harder) than your peers, but you're concentrating your effort towards the things that matter most within a meaningful time frame. 

For example, I never do homework at home. When my friends are talking, gossiping, and checking twitter, I'm working. When they say, "I'll do it later", I am already halfway done with the assignment. If I have a free moment in a class, I'm working on the homework I got from the period before. Of course, sometimes you have to work on things at home (an example being a project), but I would say that the total amount of hours this school year that I've spent doing homework at home would be less than 10 (and it's May!). 

School is not my number one priority, so I treat it as such. I want A's, so I do the work required to get them. But I don't let it overtake my life. The hours of 7:15-2:15 are my school hours, and that's when I do school things. Once I leave the school grounds, I'm (generally) done for the day. I know that I gave 110% effort to get things completed throughout the day, so I can relax at home and not worry about what the biology homework was.

This also applies to studying. I don't study at home. I study during the classes before the test. This also goes along with not taking too big of a class load (I would recommend 1/4-1/2 of your classes being easy and 3/4-1/2 of your classes being difficult), which I will talk about in a later post. Honestly, I don't remember things that I do the night before, and I just plain don't want to look over my Pre-cal formulas when within the comfort of my home. Also, because I did all my work (and payed attention in class), I don't really need to study because I can remember. Of course, for an exam, I will study at home, but for everyday quizzes and tests, I'll pass. I'm sure I can review the information I need within 5-10 minutes the period before.

Here are some general tips to help you become more efficient:

• List out your priorities in life. Spend the most time on the things that matter most to you, and gradually spend less and less time on things as you go down the list. For me, it would look like this: 
  
• Have a good organization system. For me, I use Google Drive to keep all of my school, church, business, leadership, and life items together. Find a system that works for you. I will talk more about this in a later post.
  
   
• Set goals for what you want to achieve. If you want A's, do the work required to get A's. If you just want A's and B's, adjust your workload for such. 
• Focus. If music helps you focus, listen to music. If it distracts you, be honest with yourself, and don't listen to music (Music distracts me from working, so I never listen when I'm trying to be productive). Don't sit next to certain people if they distract you from working. Do everything in your power to create the optimal environment for you to work.
• Reward yourself! Don't be uptight and stressed all the time. Set up little rewards for working hard throughout the day, and it will make you much more motivated. For example, if I complete all the assignments for my online class before the next period, I let myself watch NBA videos on ESPN or read my book. This motivates me to keep working and get things finished. 
• Do things in advance! If you have a project due in two weeks, don't keep putting it off. Get it done as soon as possible, and then you won't have to stress about it.
• Keep a planner. (I'll talk more about this in later posts) A planner allows you to remember everything that you need to be working on, so you'll never have an idle moment when at school. 

I hope this helps! They key to efficiency is less stress and more action. If you take my advice, school will become a lot easier, and you will have time for the things that are most important to you.