Every semester we all start off with that I’m gonna be a good student this semester mindset.

Every semester we all end off with I’m giving up, I’ll do better next semester.

Why do we do this to ourselves? I get that it’s human nature to start off strong and then fade a bit, but when we constantly put ourselves in this position, especially for something as crucial to our future as education, sometimes the risks outweigh the benefits.

I’m pretty sure we all have at least one friend who failed an assignment, a class, or even a whole school year. If you’re one of those people, I’m pretty sure you’ve had those, “I could’ve done better if I studied harder,” moments.

Actually, we’ve all had that moment.

School is about to start again for the vast majority of us, and it’s time to set one thing straight: We will not slack off.

I’m not going to lie when I say I’m freaking terrified of what next semester has in store for me. I’m a pre-med student working multiple jobs, which means I’m only going home to sleep next semester. I wake up, get on that school grind, get on that work grind, get on that homework grind and then go home, sleep for a few hours and repeat.

I’m basically going to spend next semester as a robot, and so will you if you’re a high school or college student. This means you cannot let anything get in the way of your work. Seriously, school comes before anything else if you’re a full-time student.

There’s only one thing you need to stay away from in order to assure that your semester will go by smoothly.

And yes, you’re going to hate hearing this, but...

Stay away from social media.

I’ll repeat it for emphasis: Stay away from social media.

Try it out for a day before school starts. Give your phone to your mom or sibling. Shut it off and put it away if you have the self control. Just don’t go on social media for an entire day and you’ll honestly be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

Never keep your phone next to you while doing work. You have no idea how many times I’ve unlocked my phone to use the calculator app, only to have a Facebook notification pop up and next thing you know, an hour has passed and I’m watching BuzzFeed Tasty videos.

Set a routine for yourself. When you get home (or back to your dorm) after classes, put your phone away or download an app that locks social media apps for a fixed amount of time.

You can even do what I do and reward yourself with something if you actually manage to stay away from your phone the entire night.

It isn’t even that bad -- just a few hours without your phone can mean the difference between a good night’s sleep and a stressful all-nighter.