Putting your best foot forward. It’s something that we all strive to do in every part of our lives but, since we are human, it doesn't always seem to happen. Life gets in the way, it makes obstacles and causes problems for us sometimes.

Lately it has been happening to me more often due to laziness, procrastination, and lack of motivation.

It has not only affected me in my life and grades in school but it also has trickled into my downtime, social time, and many other areas. When I forget to complete a homework assignment or continue to procrastinate on an approaching, I completely lose my focus. I can’t think straight when I’m doing my homework because I’m thinking about when I’m going to be done with it and what I’m going to be doing next and when I’m hanging out with friends or relaxing I can’t stop thinking about what all I have to complete in the next week, month, or even year.

Distracting myself like this causes major delays in homework and projects that should have been thought about ages ago, and because of my constant procrastination and ever-present laziness they get thrown together in a last minute effort that doesn't truly reflect my knowledge on the topic or in the class. It reflects more on how little I know or how little it appears to the professor that I tried. It tells, and shows, them that I don't care about their class enough to get things done in a timely manner. But, by spacing things out, I have adequate time to contemplate how I truly feel, work out any kinks, and I can present myself in a way that I find accurate of my current knowledge in the class. That is what a good student does.

Putting your best foot forward is SO important, whether it’s in class, in how you dress, or when you’re having an interview for your very first job. You want people to see you at your prime when you're doing your best and everything is going well for you. You’re trying and you’re putting in an effort and others can see that in you, because of the amount of time and focus you're dedicating to the task at hand.

I was reminded by my English teacher how the time is coming for us, a time when writing essays the night before they're due isn't going to cut it anymore. I had a similar realization the other night in the wee hours of the morning, when I was working on my third essay that night that was due the very next day. I was sleep deprived and not thinking straight, so as predicted, the essays didn't turn out as well as I would have liked them too.

So when you're given an essay or a big project weeks in advance before it is due and you have time on your hands to get extra work done, do those big projects. Get work done early on, space it out, because when it all piles up, it comes back to bite you, hard. That paper that you thought was going to be easy turns out to be something else, something much harder. Ten pages, single spaced, and you have to read twenty plus pages of material beforehand to understand just what it is that you're writing about. Pair that with another essay or project that is similar to the other and you have a recipe for disaster with a side of a mental breakdown.

So don't make the same mistake I did kids. Get your homework done in a timely manner, study for your tests more than just the night before, and don't forget to get enough sleep and eat right. It all adds up when you're trying to be your best and succeed in life and school. It is possible, I promise, it’s all just a matter of learning how to balance it all and finding a schedule and a work ethic/method that works for you. Keep up the good work this semester and do not give up hope! There is always time to make a change in your life and in your grades.