Cycling Energy by Sydni

Cycling Energy by Sydni - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

Click click click, my keyboard was basically typing itself at this point at night. I didn’t realize what I was doing, just that I had to finish this project. I am fueled on two energy drinks, 5 hours of sleep, and desperation to have this project done tonight. This was the cycle. I had two types of days... Those that I was assignment free, and those that everything was due on the same days. But even those that were assignment free were still burdened by the fact that I had little sleep from the night before due to my procrastination.

I would wake up, chug an energy drink, and push against attacking the day. Why would I be excited to go into the next day? I knew the cycle. Loved ones often attack my methods, why do they care? It is still getting done... Right? Expect you’d look in the gradebook, and my methods would slowly peel back to reveal the big red missing. I would forget due to my dreadfulness to go into the next day. I eventually got told that it had to end. My mom put a stop to it.

Mom and I had one of those heart to hearts. It hurt, because at the time it felt like I was trying my best and I felt unheard. This led me to go back in person now, back to the classroom. This forced me into getting into planners. If I didn’t, I was going to drown in the early mornings and responsibilities floating around me. Google calendar became my best friend; it is so crazy how quickly everything changed. Everything became lighter because I decided to take things day by day.

Over time I realized that the harsh reality I was placed into wasn’t out of disappointment in how I was handling myself, it was out of concern for the toll it was taking on my health. Planning my days became a safety blanket I never knew that I needed. It allows for such less defeat. The constant clicking became occasional. The sleepless nights became minimal. The energy drinks piled in the fridge. It ended because of one change. Simply stopping the procrastination saved me, my health, and others around me from watching me suffer.

The lesson of simply looking into the future and building myself up to prepare myself allowed me not to burn out so quickly. It allowed me to enjoy my days. I feel like I can breathe, but maybe just getting a fresh breath of air was all I needed.