What is a small habit or routine that has made a big difference in your academic or personal success? by Avery

What is a small habit or routine that has made a big difference in your academic or personal success? by Avery - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

Habits are easy to form, and once you start small habits, they become easier to implement in your day-to-day life. A small habit that has made a huge difference in my academic and personal success is writing in my planner, and it has made me more organized and reduced my overall stress.

As soon as an assignment or important event is brought to my attention, I write it out in my planner. With academic events, I color-code them by class, for personal events, I use a black pen. With larger tasks like projects that are not immediately due, I will break them down into smaller week-by-week sections. With my AP Stats homework for example, I have 4 questions, each one is done weekly, and it’s due at the end of the month. The concepts in the packet are perfectly aligned so that after we learn a new concept, it’s easier to do. When I get home, I check my planner and get a gauge of what is due that day, tomorrow, and the day after, creating my work schedule. I started this habit because I had a hard time remembering what assignments were completed, what I turned in, and if I had extra events that day, like clubs or practices. Therefore, I took my dad’s suggestion and started to use a physical planner, as digital ones caused me more stress because of their complex layouts.

Before I picked up this habit, I had countless nights of cramming because I forgot about homework or large projects. I would miss deadlines, and my stress was at an all-time high. However, after I got into the habit of writing things down, I had a clear visual of deadlines and upcoming commitments. My stress level was reduced, and because of this, I was able to take a proactive approach to my assignments. My time management has also improved because of this habit.

Academically, my grades began to improve as I was doing quality work, rather than being rushed. I managed to balance my responsibilities and my workload. I had more time to do other things, and I developed discipline and maintained consistency. Personally, I developed confidence in managing my time and responsibilities. Mentally, my anxiety was reduced because I did not have to worry if I was missing assignments. I had a sense of control over my schedule, and I felt less guilty about having downtime. My sleep improved because of the lost stress.

Despite the benefits, starting this habit wasn’t easy. Initially, I forgot I had a planner, so days would go by without me writing in it, slipping back into my old habit of rushing to do my homework. When a teacher mentions an assignment, even if I can get it done in class, I write it down. This got me into the habit of documenting my responsibilities.

This habit wasn’t easy for me, but it’s the consistency that makes it a true habit. The skills in organization and time management, and reduced stress and more free time, are worth it.