Habit Differences by Leah

Habit Differences by Leah - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

I have been homeschooled all my life. It is a huge blessing to be able to learn at my own pace, but I never thought that pace would be so slow. I was working in a schoolroom with my sisters, but there were interruptions. I took my work back to my bedroom, but there were still distractions. My mind would be all over the place, and I had trouble concentrating. The thought of all the work I had to catch up on did not help my mood or motivation to finish. Then there was the daily non-school related schedule. Between church events, sports, and other activities, the evenings were taken up for me.
When I started high school, the workload was heavy. I started to struggle keeping up with my assignments. I began procrastinating. When a big project arrived, I would just stop until I had the will to finish, but by then, I was three more days behind. Over time, the work kept piling on until I was elbow-deep in homework. I would work all day from morning to night and still be weeks behind. Even up to my junior year, I was doing make up work and even worked through the summer.
I am now a senior, and as graduation approaches, I am determined to finish on time. Because of this motivation to do better, I developed new habits that has made a more successful student. One habit is learning to focus. I can say no to the little things that distract me or take my mind off my work. Another habit is I have put an end to procrastinating. Now, I make myself do the projects. Although, I may still be unable or unwilling to do a project, instead of quitting, I tell myself to come back to it later, and I keep working ahead instead of doing nothing. These habits have made my workload easier, and I know that at graduation, my diploma will feel earned.