Keeping a good work ethic

I am the type of person that will put off school work until it’s the last minute  - I’m a terrible example, but lately I have been having to change that because of impending (or for a better word, looming) final GCSE exams.

A familiar phrase for me whilst revising is ‘just one more episode’, but one more episode turns into two, and then three, and before I know it I’ve watched an entire season of Gossip Girl and still not done my maths homework.

However, if I could give anyone in the years below me a piece of advice, it would be to change your work ethic before your final year. Because of my procrastination and lack of effort in school, my grades have been affected a lot and this has finally all had a ripple effect over the past four (almost five) years onto my final results.

It might seem like the first couple years of senior/high school are essentially pointless because of the lack of exams at the end of them, but that’s certainly not the case. If you get into the habit of working hard in year seven or year eight, this will continue through until the end of year 11 - and if you can work hard and get consistently good marks and levels, chances are that you’ll be a lot less panicked about your GCSE’s.

But how exactly do you get that work ethic? I can tell you that you need it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll know how to go about getting it and maintaining it.

1. Your lifestyle - getting more sleep and eating healthier foods will give you more energy and ability to focus in lessons and learn what you need to.
   
2. Being organised - keeping your deadlines in order and making sure everything is on time will make things a lot less stressful, which can lead to you losing spirit and will in your education and studies.
   
3. Picture your success - if you want to see yourself on results day, opening the envelope and getting the grades you want, then you can use this as an inspiration (a mental inspiration board, if you will) to motivate yourself.
   
4. Attending school as much as possible - I find that I’m a lot more motivated and encouraged in a learning environment, so if you’re considering a sick day around your exams but you think you might me able to attend, it’s important that you do (and this will stop your attendance rate from going down)
   
5. Your aesthetic - this might seem a bit odd, but if you can make your work space look nice and your notes neat (and colourful as well!) you’ll probably find it a lot less tedious to look at them and be in your work space for long periods of time.
   

It might seem like a complete drag to have to spend so much time studying, but just remember how worth it it’ll be when you’re finished. Right now, I have a ton of revision and extra school hours to do, but I finish in two months and then I can leave, and all this hard work will be a small price to pay when I get the results I want and can do the courses I want in the future.