Senior year is going to be one of the most complicated things you’ll ever have to deal with in life. Trust me, I’m going through it right now. As I’m writing this article, I still haven’t figured anything out, but I’m trying. It isn’t going to be easy, but nothing will improve in life if you don’t try your hardest.

Senior year has been one of the most fun years of my life, but easily the most stressful. Trying to deal with college, school, and work, for some seniors, isn’t easy.  My life has been so consuming lately that I barely have had any free time. In fact, I’m cramped for time with writing this article. I don’t know how I’ve been able to get my work done, but I somehow have. It has put a lot of stress on me, and it is becoming progressively harder to deal with. The way I try to deal with everything is being strict with myself and when I fail to do something that I needed to do, I push myself even harder to get it done or get the next thing done. Everything that I’ve talked about deals with balance, and that’s been something that, admittedly, I’ve done a terrible job with. Everything that’s going on for me, and a lot of seniors out there, is incredibly unorganized. Nobody’s senior year is going to be perfect, but here are some things I think can make the process a lot smoother for upcoming seniors.

• Set a schedule for the day:

I have struggled with this, but going forward, I will be setting a schedule for the day. For the first two months of my senior year, I didn’t have a strict schedule for myself, and getting hired for a job may have made it worse. If you don’t want to get behind on some things, like I have, you need to set a schedule going into your senior year. I’m working hard to get out of this hole that I dug for myself, and setting my new schedule is going to help it. That schedule is going to school, if I have work, go to work then do homework when I get a break at work and after work. If I don’t have work, those will be the days I work hardest on homework and college application work.

• Get good sleep:

Falling asleep unplanned, with your phone in your hand and lights or a tv on is not going to help. Make sure to set your alarm, turn lights off, put your phone down and charge it, then go to sleep. I’ve been trying to follow those steps right before I go to sleep, and in the morning, I’ll feel refreshed. On nights where I stay up too late and don’t set my alarm or turn off lights, I wake up too tired in the morning, and not refreshed. To remind myself of these things, I have an alarm set at 9pm. I always know what it means and it helps me stay organized.

• Prepare School Needs at Night:

I, many times this year, have failed to get my school needs prepared at night. I sometimes don’t get my clothes ready at night. I sometimes forget to charge my computer. I sometimes forget to pack my backpack. It makes my morning a lot easier and quicker if I do these things at night, so that I’m not scrambling in the morning. It’s rare that I scramble in the morning, though, because I usually set my alarm based off what I need to do in the morning. This does happen to other students I’ve heard from, however. I do believe it is most efficient to have everything set the night prior for your morning and entire day to be successful.

Balancing A Job and the Rest of Life

At times, it is extremely difficult to balance a job and school, especially on nights where I’m bombarded with homework. I’ve had to work around my school schedule, and it has been somewhat successful lately. I already know the days where I get the most homework, which is usually Wednesday and Friday, and of course, I don’t work these days. Even if I have homework on a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday, I make sure to get it done either before or right after my shift.

I also try to balance my job with time I want to have for my own. For example, I work at a job that is closed on Sunday, which is my favorite day of the week. I make sure Sundays are open because of football. Not having to work on Sundays was a big part of my decision to work at the place that I work.

Be Prepared

Coming into senior year, I thought it was going to be a breeze with no problems. Two months in, I quickly realized that is not the case. It takes hard work, a lot of time, a lot of dedication, and focus. I was not prepared for senior year, and that has been shown throughout the short time I’ve been a senior. Something that I can tell people that are coming into their senior year soon is to be prepared, but more importantly, don’t expect perfection. Nothing with senior year is going to be perfect but do give it as much time and effort as you would something else, because you do not want to get behind.