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

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

A small habit that I have done that has made a big difference in my academic success is setting a timer for when I need to do my schoolwork. I have always struggled with getting the motivation to do my schoolwork when I just want to relax after a long day. Once I'm home, I get something to eat. Once I'm done eating, I set a timer for how long I need to work. I do it in small proportions. If I want to work for three hours, I will set 30-minute timers and normally once I get in the zone, I pause the timer or turn it off and just work. It doesn’t take long for me to get into the zone once I start, it's just starting. Setting the small timers tricks my brain into thinking that I don't have a lot to do and that it won't take as long. I do that for everything. My brain can get overwhelmed very easily when I have a lot to do, breaking it all into steps helps me process it and actually work on it. I would always spend more time stressing about it than actually doing it. One day I was stressed about all the work I needed to do because I was taking my first ever college class and I didn’t know if I was doing anything right and it felt like there was more stuff to do no matter how much I completed. My boyfriend was actually the one who helped me come up with the idea of breaking my work into small steps. I have a separate piece of paper for each class and write down what I need to do and how to do it. I then “forget” the other steps, by covering them up and just focus on the first one and move up to the next one when I'm done and such forth. This simple action has saved me from many breakdowns and stressful situations. I suggest anyone do it or at least try it.