My Habit to Success. by Lindsey

My Habit to Success. by Lindsey - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

Everybody has some sort of technique for studying. For some it's a coffee shop; for others it's complete silence. While for me it's Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Allegro Non Molto (winter) by Antonio Vivaldi. I have always struggled with procrastinating with anything I do. Homework, cleaning, any sort of thing that needs to be done. Struggling to find a way that helped me focus and forced me to do anything was hard. I am an avid music listener to all genres, but the only string instruments that ever interested me were guitars or bass, not violin or cello. To my surprise of digging deep enough into my music, I found a playlist that had to be boring. It was called The Four Seasons, and what good music would come of that. Well, when I hit play, everything changed.
I had tried to listen to music when I did homework, but anything with lyrics was too distracting. Everything was too distracting, silence was somehow louder, movies were too distracting. My grades were good, but not where I wanted them to be. My room, a mess. One night, I once again tried studying for a class when I couldn’t focus; so I went on my phone. I often look up different types of music, and so when The Four Season playwright caught my eye, I pressed play and wondered if it would help. I had never been so mentally disciplined in my life.
Not only was I concentrating harder, I could get so many things done. Tasks that would take hours were now efficiently completed. I could clean my room with full attention and not get distracted. I could easily breeze past assignments and complete them knowing I was really focused. My grades, and my room, reflected that immensely. I didn’t have anything looming over my head about an undone assignment and could use my time for something else. My mind felt clear and I felt more confident about time management.
More importantly, this habit improved more than my productivity, it has helped me better connect with the people in my life. The constant stress of unfinished assignments was a huge portion of my anxiety. When my environment was now in order, my mind felt lighter. I could now strengthen my relationships with my friends and family. Anxiety is hard to control but being able to manage it makes a difference. Instead of catching up on assignments, I could now go be with my friends. Not having to worry about canceling plans because I was now efficient with my time.
College has brought a new level of respinsibiltys about how my life is planned. That is a whole other level of planning work that I can confidently say I am ready for. What started as background music became a foundation for discipline. The best way I work is when everything is efficient and done effectively. The Four Seasons became the foundation of my growth and has sturecture the opportunities ahead of me.