A calming soft bell chimes at 7:30 a.m., and I rise  gracefully from my bed to turn off my alarm clock. After getting ready and eating a full breakfast, I happily arrive on campus with enough time to stroll peacefully to my first period class. 

Unfortunately, this scenario only exists in my imagination. My actual morning routine starts when my alarm clock blares at 8. 

After a frustrated grunt, I angrily press the stop button just to get 10 more minutes of uninterrupted sleep. 

At 8:15, my mom stomps into my room, shouting “WAKE UP, SERENA, YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE,” and I scramble to put on my clothes and sprint out the door. Arriving on campus at 8:29, I run for dear life, dart skillfully through the hallways and enter my first-period class.

8:32. And 2 minutes late. Again.

For a recent week, I made a vow to be on time. I decided to start by identifying the problem. As a second-semester senior, I have fallen into a slump of starting my work at midnight and going to sleep after 3 a.m., with predictable results. Aiming to end this vicious cycle, I realized I needed to stop procrastinating — which is easier said than done. 

Fast forward to the week when I was going to change my ways. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were a failure. Although I attempted to start my work early, I was easily distracted by the dramatic Chinese TV show my parents were indulging in, my older sister bursting into my room every 10 minutes with a new TikTok to show me and notifications that constantly popped up on my computer. 

But I didn’t let these failures hold me back. 

Thursday was my turning point. I locked myself in my room, turned off all notifications and even blocked websites on my computer to eliminate all distractions. To my surprise, I finished my work at 8:36 and went to sleep at midnight (my procrastination unfortunately resurged, as I dawdled before going to bed). The next day, feeling rejuvenated after almost eight hours of sleep, I left my house at 8:17, and arrived on campus at 8:27. I still had to sprint to class, but, finally, I stepped into my first period-class before the bell rang. 

While I was nowhere near my idyllic goal of waking up gracefully and strolling peacefully on campus, identifying the true source of my tardiness has helped me correct my bizarre schedule. 

Even in class, I have felt much more awake and I don’t feel the need to constantly fight my sleepiness. Although it’s entirely possible I’ll fall back into the work-slump that most second-semester seniors suffer from, it was a refreshing break from unhealthy habits.