Gossip: Fact or Hallway Fiction?

While I'm not so much into it anymore, when I was in middle school, I was absolutely obsessed with gossip. I stuffed my binders with teen magazines about all my favorite singers, actors, and actresses at the time. Although I probably should have been stuffing them with schoolwork instead or PopStar and Astro Girl magazines. I would read, and reread these magazines all the time, and more often then not, believe every word that I read. Even what color to paint my nails, and who I do and don't get along with based on my star-sign. Unfortunately, yes, I'm serious. I was obsessed with all the little puzzles and personality tests, and even more so.. what my favorite stars are up to. But not only was I obsessed with the celeb gossip, but I loved hearing about the crazy rumors about my classmates. I loved to hear things, and pass it along.. even adding on to the story at times. Gossip is really fun, and rumors do make for interesting, entertaining conversations. However.. sometimes it's better not to get to involved with gossip and rumors.

The main thing to watch with gossip is that it isn't always 100% true, and it may not even be true at all. While sometimes pieces and parts might be true, someone may twisted things around, or added their own bits and pieces, to spice up the story a bit. And when you weren't directly involved it can be hard to tell what is real and what isn't. Many rumors may not even be true at all, and could have just been someones assumptions based on something they saw, or even heard them say. Sometimes they even get made up completely out of the blue, possibly by someone that wants to ruin someones reputation or hurt someone. It's nearly impossible to tell what is true, and what is just fiction. As a general rule of thumb, it's best to be iffy about even the most believable gossip unless it's confirmed by all of people involved. 

While gossip can be a great source of entertainment, and is relatively harmless, it can also get way out of hand, and really hurt somebody. Some gossip may just be an irritation or an annoyance to the person  involve, they may even joke around with it. But sometimes a rumor could spring up, and grow to the point that it ruins someone's reputation, and causes anxiety and depression to the person involved, whether it's true or not. If a piece of gossip sounds like it might hurt someone, get them in trouble, or ruin their reputation, DO NOT PARTICIPATE, even if you don't like the person. Even if you despise someone, it's no reason to try to ruin their life. Besides, why waste your lunch time talking about someone you don't like? And if you don't know the person, aside from their name maybe, don't let gossip affect how you treat them. Because what you heard may not be true at all, and even if it is, it doesn't mean that the person is a bad person... they may even want to change that part of themselves. And remember, even if something is true, think of how you'd feel if people spread your secrets around the school.. same with people saying horrible untrue things about you. 

In all honesty, it's best to avoid getting to involved with rumors, especially when it comes to rumors about people you go to school or work with. You may even want to refrain a little bit from rumors that go around about celebrities or internet stars. Just don't believe everything you read about them is true, and avoid adding to it. But when it comes to people that you work with or go to school with, it's best not to take part in it. Of course it really is easy to be drawn in, nobody is perfect. But just because you hear something from your friends, it doesn't mean that you need to pass it on or even 100% believe it. And if you hear something bad about someone, do NOT talk about it and feed into it. You never know how much it could hurt them. I know that this can be hard, especially if you already don't like the person, but it's better to change the subject, or stay out of the conversation completely. 

No matter what age you are, there will always be gossip. From middle school, to high school, to college, and even into your work place. I've even heard TEACHERS gossiping before. There is no getting away from it, and it cam be really tempting to take part and even add in your own bits of information. However, you never know whats really true and what isn't, or how it could affect the person involved. I can tell you personally that having rumors spread about you hurts. Things that you trusted someone with getting spread throughout the school.. or someone making something up about you that isn't true. 

Remember, nobody is perfect. And even if you do gossip a lot, that doesn't make you a bad person.. but it is best to not get to involved with it. Or treat someone different because of it. Because you never truly know what is fact, and what is hallway fiction. 

"You Will Be Presenting This to the Class..."

As a nerdy girl, I sort of liked it when I was able to choose a topic, or do something creative with something we did in class in a project. Of course at the same time my lazy side wasn't so pleased that it meant more work would have to go into this project then reading a fun book or playing The Sims 3. To make matters worse my procrastinator side would always often come out, and I'd dump all the work on myself the night before the project is due. But overall, I did enjoy some projects, unless I completely did not like the given topic. My favorite school projects were the ones where I was able to choose my own topic, and state my opinion on it. I just love to state my opinion, especially on things I feel strongly about. I even liked putting my own spin on a book we read in english, or even looking more into a certain scientific or historical topic. Why am I such a nerd? LOL. After getting over my laziness I was typically able to come up with something I was proud to turn in. But the thing was... no matter how proud I was of the work I did, or how much I wanted to state my opinion to everyone, I'd always get this churning feeling in my stomach whenever we were told that we had to present our project to the class. I got nervous just reading out loud from my seat!! I didn't even really like to even give a brief summary of what I did, let alone a full presentation or speech. 

There were times when I was actually quite exciting to state my opinion to the class. That was... until it was my day to present. I'd always avoid being the first person to present as much as possible, and I'd often try to go at the very last if I can. And I'd always hope that my presentation gets pushed into the next day. That feeling in my stomach would just not stop, my mind would be racing. I'd be so relieved when the bell rang and there was no time for my presentation, even though I knew it would be the next day. I could check over my powerpoint again to make sure I have everything right, and think more about what I want to say. But in all honestly... the biggest relief came once I actually went through with the presentation and got it done. To tell the truth, I don't think that giving my presentation at the VERY end was the best idea. Because that just allowed for the speech anxiety to build up more and more, rather then just getting it done and over with. But I really did not want to be the first person to go either,  and seeing other people do it before me did help to give me a little more confidence. If you can, I recommend  trying to give your speech or presentation somewhere in the middle. This way you can see a few other presentations before your own, but keep the anxiety from building up more and more as the days progress. 

My senior year I decided I really wanted to improve my public speaking skills, knowing that I'd more then likely need to give some kind of presentation later in life, so I took a speech class, and actually did really well in that class. Of course it helped having an awesome teacher for that class who let us have fun with our speeches. He even let us turn a few of them into a performance and add in some humor. Adding a little humor can really help out, as it makes you feel people are laughing with you, and not at you. It also helps to lighten up the mood a lot. However, before throwing in a few laughs you may want to make sure it's okay with your teacher first... and that humor would be appropriate for the topic. You'll also want to avoid overkilling your speech with humor if its meant to be persuasive. Some types of presentations may even call for a small bit of acting or performing. Small changes in tone of voice, facial expressions, and even body language can go a long way. You could even try using fun or funny voices, if its okay with the teacher, but do be careful with this, as some teachers really don't like this. When in doubt.. ask first. Also, if you are shy reading out loud, you could even try using voice changes when reading. Not only does it make it slightly more fun, but it can also get the class more engaged in what your reading. 

Another small thing you can do to improve your confidence for giving a speech is to dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable. Personally for me, I like to wear more dressy clothes when I give a speech. For me the dressy clothing just makes me feel slightly more prepared, and little more professional. I typically prefer dressier looking clothes as my everyday wear anyways, but it does help to give me a slight boost to my confidence. However, I know this is certainly not the case for everyone. If you are not comfortable wearing dress clothes for a speech, and it isn't specified that you have to, then by all means don't. Wear something that you feel comfortable in, whether that be jeans and a t-shirt, or even sweat pants! I personally prefer to look nice, just because looking nice gives me an instant mood boost. But for some comfort may be a bigger priority. :)

The most important thing when giving a presentation is to BE PREPARED! Look over your visual aids (power points, posters, ect.) and make sure you have all your information correct, and you have it how you want it to look. Create notes or notecards to help you along with your speech in advance and go over them as often as you can, and make sure they are all in order before you give your speech or presentation. It may also help to highlight the most important points in your notes. You'll also want to practice giving the presentation outside of class. You could practice by giving the presentation for friends and family, in the mirror, or even just in front of some teddy bears. As many speeches have a time requirement, you'll also want to practice timing yourself to see if you need to make it longer or shorter by adding or removing information. Don't try to memorize an entire presentation word for word, as trying to do it the exact same way each time will only make you more nervous. 

If you have a cold or your voice is all funny because you are sick the day of your speech, be sure to drink plenty of water before giving your speech (and all the time because water is good for you) to help clear your throat a bit. You may also want to let the class and the teacher know that your voice isn't at its best. That way they'll know why your voice might crack, or why you may need to speak softer. Teachers often look for volume when it comes to speeches, and if they know that you need to speak softer because you are sick they will likely be more understanding of that. 

Giving a speech doesn't have to be as scary as it may seem. Just be prepared, and relax while your giving your speech. Eating a good breakfast may also help the stomach rumbling. Try looking over peoples heads, rather then into their eyes if it helps, but avoid looking down or at the ceiling. Go up their and give it your very best. Even try to have a little fun if you can. Not giving your speech is not an option without a huge hit to your grade. So it's best to just give the presentation. Any grade you get will be better then a zero for not doing it. 

What do you like to do to boost your confidence before a speech/ presentation?

Back To School: Do Your Summer Homework

I know this is probably the last thing that many of you want to think about at this point, anything related to school. Not to mention, the not so fun part of school... anything that involves work, especially the dreaded summer homework. Who in their right mind decides to assign homework over summer vacation?! Do they not know that we actually do have lives, and we want to go places and enjoy our summer? I graduated high school and I still hate the idea of doing homework over the summer. However, if you are assigned work over the summer, sadly it has to get done. And if you choose not to do it, you could suffer a huge blow to your grade, and get in some sort of trouble. Not a good way to start off the year, or a good impression to give your teacher so early. So really the best thing you can do is do it, and do it before the summer ends. 

The only time I ever really had homework over the summer was the summer before grade 10, and all I had to do was read one book. It was suggested that we took notes, but we didn't have to. We didn't have to write anything. It wasn't even that long of a book, yet I was complaining. Just because the book was not one I'd typically read, and I was being forced to do it. Some teachers will assign a lot more than reading a 209 page book, with the suggestion of taking notes. Sometimes you'll have to keep journals of what's going on, answer questions, do other projects, or anything they choose. Some teachers may also do online assignments to see if you really are working throughout the summer, theres really no waiting until the last minute on that one. But no matter how big or small the assignment is, it sucks that it's taking from your summer, and that you have to do school work when your not even in school. It's really the last thing that you want to think about. 

Me being a huge procrastinator, I decided to wait until the last few weeks before school started to start reading the book. So between back to school shopping, getting my supplies together, and picking my outfit for the first day of school, I was reading that book. Luckily for me the book was short enough that I was able to do a few other things in between, but the fact that school was coming close caused a lot of stress for me. Had the book been longer or I had to actually write anything down or answer questions, I wouldn't have had any free time or been able to get done at all. And the worst part of putting off a summer assignment is the fact that, it just hangs over your head and nags at you the whole summer until you get it done. The later you get into the summer without starting your assignment, the naggier it gets, and it can cut into you having a good time. Who really wants to deal with their own brain nagging at them about homework when they are trying to enjoy a day at the pool?

Waiting until the last minute to do anything is never really the best idea. It creates a lot of stress, and then makes you feel as if you need to rush. When you rush, you don't always do your best on your assignments. I know that some teachers may not be the pickiest about summer assignments, and they may just want to see that you put effort into it. However some may be a little more picky, and you will likely have some kind of test or quiz over it. Even if the test or quiz isn't going to be a huge grade, it would still suck to start off the year with a lesser test score. 

If you haven't already, you may want to start on your summer assignments now. That way you will still have plenty of time before school starts again in August or September depending on your school. Then you don't have to try to do it all at once. You can read a chapter or two from your summer reading book and do any written part that goes along with that each night, until you get done. Starting now will also allow you the opportunity to take a day or two off from it to do other fun things. Of course you can also choose to do a lot more each night and get it done even sooner, then not have to worry about it the last few weeks of summer while you go back to school shopping and do other end of summer activities. Just don't choose to wait until the very end of summer. It really kills the fun part of back to school, and anything fun you may want to do at that time if you wait. 

Having the time to only do a little at a time is probably the best part of starting early. It allows you time to get out and enjoy the summer, while still getting a little work done. If you start to feel stressed, you can also walk away from it for a bit and not have to worry about time as much. I also suggest doing these assignments during a time when your feeling bored and can't seem to find anything else to do, which happens to me a lot in the summer, LOL. Stuck inside on a rainy day? Friends away on vacation? Nothing else to do and nothing on TV? Work on your assignments. It's not the most exciting solution to boredom, but it does help to ease the nagging feeling. I noticed that the nagging feeling  that I should be reading my summer book came up a lot when I was sitting there doing nothing, or trying to look for videos on the weird part of YouTube for some sort of amusement. "Why are you just sitting here doing nothing?! Read your book!" 

If you have other friends in the same class with the same assignment, you could possibly work together on it. Then you can spend some time with friends while your at it, and it can help to make it seem a little more fun. It also gives you a way to share what you think with others and get other opinions or ideas that you didn't think of as you go to do any written assignments. Working with friends and having some laughs can really help to relieve some of the drag on the assignment. And afterwards, you can all go out and do something fun together!

If you like reading your own books during the summer, I would suggest making the next book you read be your summer reading book. Sure it's probably not going to be a book of your interest, but it would be best to get it out of the way before you go on to your next pleasure read. You can also read it along with your pleasure reads. Read a little bit of the not-so-fun school book, and do what you need to do. Then reward yourself by relaxing with a book you love. If you aren't a reader, you can (and should) give yourself a small reward in other ways. Perhaps with a cookie or other treat after you get your work for the day done. You may also want to wait until you finish it completely and reward yourself with something slightly bigger. Perhaps you can buy yourself that new bathing suite or dress you wanted, or maybe that new beauty product you think may be nice. Or maybe you could treat yourself to your favorite restaurant after you finish. The satisfaction of getting the assignment off your shoulders and not having to worry about it also makes for a great reward. 

Getting assigned homework to do over the summer is never exactly fun, and summer homework is not something we exactly get excited to get started on. But unfortunately it has to get done if we want to get the best grade we can and give the teacher a good first impression of us. It's best to start on it early so we can have plenty of time to work on it, and still have plenty of free time. It also helps to get it done early and get rid of that nagging feeling that you should be working on your homework so that it doesn't spoil your whole summer. It's better to enjoy the last couple weeks before school homework free. 

Ugh... Those last few weeks

The school year has gone really fast for me up to this point. A semester and half of this semester have passed within a blink of an eye. But as we get into the last quarter of the year, it seems that time is starting to slow down. Summer, and for me graduation, is less than two months away. Each day it gets harder and harder to wake up and find any motivation. All I can think about is summer, and what comes next. Sure I still the moments when I think, I'm going to miss this place, but when when the alarm goes off or when a teacher makes me write (God forbid I have to use a pencil or write something that isn't a blog post! LOL) senioritis kicks in big time, and all I want is for summer to come. But we all know that you don't have to be a senior to feel the same way. No matter what grade you are in, this time of year it gets increasingly difficult to find any motivation to do anything school related. But slacking off in the last few weeks can have it's consequences later on. 

I don't any of the classes I'm taking this semester to graduate, and being a senior I have no exams to worry about. I could easily slack off this semester if I wanted to without any consequences from the school, but I want to keep my GPA up, and I don't want my last report card to have D's and F's. But while I can easily get away with not doing anything this semester, others may need the classes they are taking to graduate and they can't fail them, or they might have to take senior exams. And if you aren't a senior, more than likely you need all of your current classes to go towards graduation, and you will need to take exams at the end of the year. You'll need to keep working hard in your classes, especially if you haven't done well the last 3 quarters, so that you can pass the class and not have to retake it. Your grades in the last quarter can also determine whether you're eligible to play sports in the fall. And staying out of trouble with your parents because of your grades is also a plus, no one wants to spend the summer grounded because they got a D or F on their report card.

Stick to the routines you've had for the rest of the year, and keep up the study habits you've had from the start. Offer yourself small rewards for staying on task. For example, for every week where you turn in all of your work on time, buy yourself an extra treat in the cafeteria on Friday. Or if you get an A (or a B depending on how hard that class is for you), on all of your tests that week you can treat yourself to dinner at Chipotle, or any place you like. You could even give yourself a small reward such as a glass of chocolate milk for getting your homework done every night. Don't go too overboard on the rewards, save the bigger things for the end of the year. Perhaps earning an A or B during the last quarter could be rewarded with a shopping spree, or even just buying that one thing you've had your eye on for a while. 

As the weather gets nicer, I know that nobody wants to stay inside and do homework all day. You should still try to get your homework done right after school so you don't have to do it later at night, but you can still spend time outside. I like to have some time to relax a bit before I do my homework, so this would be a great time period to spend outside getting some fresh air. You could also take some short breaks from your homework to have a glass of water and sit outside for a bit. You could even try doing your homework outside as long as it won't become a distraction. Just don't let the wind take your homework away, LOL, keep a heavy book over loose papers. Take your time to get the answers right, and study the material. But remember, the faster you get done, the more time you'll have to enjoy the nice weather. 

Staying on top of your studies this time of year can seem like a total drag, but offering yourself tiny rewards can help out a bit. Try also to enjoy the fun parts of school, such as seeing all of your friends and your favorite lunches. Take advantage of special events planned by the school such as dances, game nights, and spring sporting events. For those of you who are upper-classman, prom is right around the corner. Enjoy the time you have left in school, especially if you are a senior. You'll never get these times back once you graduate. But even if you are only a freshman, or even in middle school, enjoy these years. They fly by much faster than you think. High school is only 4 years of your life, you'll have the rest of your life to go on with your future plans. Once these years are gone, they're gone. So stay positive, stay on top of things, make good choices, and enjoy yourself. You only get this experience once in your life, so make the most of it, and as they say, YOLO!

How do you get yourself through the last part of the school year? Is is hard for you, or is it just the same? Do you enjoy the end of the school year more as the weather warms up?

Beat The Study Hall Boredom

I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to waste my study hall. If I don't have a homework assignment due that day or the next day, I'll just sit there doing nothing. Maybe I'll put my head down on the desk and try to take a nap, even if I should be working on a project or studying for a test. Even though there are plenty of things I could be doing in study hall, whether I have work to do or not, I find myself getting bored and staring off into space. Sometimes it just seems like there's nothing to do in study hall, when in reality, there are plenty of things you could be doing to pass the time. 

Obviously, study hall is class period that is meant for studying and doing school work, not for sleeping, as much as we like to think it is sometimes, LOL. Work on homework you got in classes you had before study hall, you might just get them done and not have to take them home! Personally, I like to work on assignments that require the textbook first so that you won't need to take the book home. If all of your homework is done, you can work on any large projects you may have, or study for a test that you have coming up. 

If you don't have homework to do, projects to work on, or tests to study for, then you can do something a little more enjoyable. The biggest time passer, that almost every study hall teacher will let you do, is reading a good book. Sometimes you can get so sucked into the story that the bell ringing sneaks up on you before you know it! If you're not much of a reader, doodling or coloring is also a great time passer. If you're a writer you can write some stories or poems, or if you like to blog or make YouTube videos you can plan out your video or blog post during this time and write down some ideas. Some teachers may also allow you to listen to music during study hall, which can help time go by even faster. Music can also help you to block out distractions from people around you when you're working. If you are allowed to talk in study hall, you can always chat with any friends that you have around you. You could maybe even play a card game or color a picture together if neither of you have work to do. Just remember, there are other people working. Don't do anything that would cause a distraction to other people around you.  

What do you like to do to pass time in study hall? Do you typically have a lot of homework to do, or do you need to find other things to do? Do you have no study halls at all? 

Dealing With Bullying

At some point in our lives, almost everyone gets bullied in some way. It may have been mild teasing in elementary school, and only lasted for a short period of time. Or it's that mean girl or guy that picks on you and your friends for seemingly silly things. Maybe it doesn't bother you that much, and what they say doesn't really get to you. But for some, the bullying can be much worse, and can even get physical. And modern technology can make it even harder to get away from it. Victims can often feel trapped, and like they are alone. Sometimes it can lead to the victim suffering from depression or other emotional problems. I have personally been badly bullied in the past, but I'll tell that story another day.

We've all heard the saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." I disagree with this statement. If you break a bone, or get a bruise, it will eventually heal. You may even eventually by able to get a good laugh off of it. Physical pain passes, words and memories stick. When you are taunted, or picked on daily, it's often easy to start believing what people say, and start thinking something is wrong with you. Words can ruin your reputation, and destroy your self-esteem. There is no reason that you should need to deal with the taunting and false rumors about you, you are better then that.

So what can you do? First of all, DON'T fight back by calling then a name or saying something about them. They want you to stoop to their level, they want to see you get angry or upset. And NEVER hit someone unless they hit you, you'll get in more trouble if you start a fight. If they hit you, you have every right to defend yourself, but something should be done before it escalates to the point of physical violence. I have been told before to just try to ignore it, and don't react,eventually the bully will get bored, but this isn't always the case. They will try anything to get a reaction out of you, and you shouldn't need to sit around and deal with it and let it get worse. The best thing you can is tell someone, preferably an adult that can help. It can be a teacher, guidance counselor, parent, or any other adult you trust. They can find ways to help you deal with it, and try to put an end to it. **If you are being physically threatened, this is a matter for law enforcement.** NEVER be ashamed to ask for help, it may not be easy... but things will get better.

Remember, there are always people who care about you, and that will support you. Your friends and family care about you and want the best for you. You have so much going for you, and there is most definitely something good about you. I have a challenge on my blog to find at least 5 things you like about yourself, try it out. Don't let other people bring you down. Bullies try to bring others down to boost their own ego. Never let anyone make you feel like less than what you are. 

This song has really helped me a lot. I love BOTDF (I have a different taste in music, and I'm not ashamed of it =]) and the message behind this song, and even if you don't like Blood On The Dance Floor, the message is still great. 

Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are others going through the same things, and people that care about you, people who will be willing to help you and talk with you. If you just need someone to talk to, you can always talk to a close friend, sibling, as well as an adult. There are also multiple hotlines you can call to talk with someone. If you are having thoughts of suicide, or self-harm, it's best to seek professional help. Don't give up, things will get better.

You are all so amazing, and there are so many great things about you. For those of you who need to deal with bullying on a regular basis, I know how you feel, and I know it's never easy. Just keep working towards your dreams, you may even become that bully's boss one day. And for those of you who have never had to deal with harsh bullying, you are very fortunate, and I'm happy for you. I care for all of you, even if I don't know you. :)

*Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert or a professional. I am sharing what I have learned from experience, as well as what I have learned in the past. 

Stop Procrastinating, Stay On Top Of Things

Admit it, we all procrastinate sometimes. We've all put off writing that huge research paper, doing our chores, and other things that, we just don't want to do. We tell ourselves, "I'll do it in an hour," but then that hour becomes two hours, and eventually "I'll do it tomorrow". Sometimes it'll even go beyond that, and we find ourselves scrambling at the last minute to get something done. I myself, am a terrible procrastinator. I'll put off just about anything for as long as I can, whether it be homework, waking up, leaving for school in the morning, or even applying for college. Sometimes I'll even put off doing things I enjoy doing, such as blogging. It's not  always that I don't want to do it, it's that I get distracted doing other things.

Often times, we put off things because we are either distracted by something else, we want to avoid stress, or we simply don't want to do it. It's really easy to spend the whole night on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube rather than cleaning your room or doing your research paper, or to go hang out with your best friend instead of doing your homework. We would all prefer to do something fun over something stressful. But in all honesty, putting things off causes you more stress than just doing them straight away. You get that nagging little voice in that back of your head that keeps saying "You should being doing [insert task here] right now", and it keeps you from having as good of a time as you would if you had done it already. The voice nags you everywhere you go, and through everything you do. And when you finally get to it at the last minute, you wish you would have used your time more wisely, because it's taking even longer than you anticipated, and you know you won't do as well as you would have if you would have been working on it from the beginning. 

When it comes to large assignments, we're typically given more than enough time to get it done, and sometimes we're even given class time to work on them. One of my first steps to beating procrastination is to actually use this class time to work on the assignment, whether it be big or small. It gives you less work to do outside of class, and less to take home. It also gives you the opportunity to as for help if you need it. Don't mess around on the internet or use this time to chat with the people around you. You may even inspire your friends to get to work on their assignments as well if they see you working. And if you have a study hall, use that to get as much of your project done as you can as well if you don't have any other homework due the next day (or the same day). Doing homework that you've been assigned before study hall will lighten you load of homework for when you get home. However, don't save all of your homework to do the next day in study hall. Some assignments may take longer then one study hall to complete, and you might not always get done. Especially if you are in a lot of classes that give homework often. Take what you didn't get done in study hall home. If you have a large project, work on it for a certain amount of time each night at home, 15 minutes to an hour a night would be a good time frame. Or making sure you made a certain amount of progress each night, for example, writing one page of your essay a night. You may even get done early and not have to worry about it near the due date. I will post an example of a project schedule in the future.

You'll also want to set a certain time in which to start doing your homework. Be sure to give yourself a little time to unwind before you begin, and allow some time for a small snack. Don't make it to late at night, and don't set it much more than an hour after you get home. And don't start doing anything that might delay for from starting your homework. When the time comes, no excuses, get off of your favorite website and turn off the TV, and get to work on your homework. If you find yourself getting over stressed, take a short 5 minute break and maybe get a glass of water. Don't start doing other things like going on Facebook or watching TV. You can listen to music while you do your homework as long as it won't become a distraction. The less breaks you take,and the more you focus, the more time you get to yourself at night. Time to chat with your friends and read a book of your choice without that nagging "Do your homework!" :)

Scheduling out specific times a day to do the things you have to do, and going by those times is the first step in breaking the habit of procrastination. Set a time to wake-up, leave for school, start your homework, get ready for bed, and go to bed, and anything else you may need to do and stick to it. You can also schedule certain days and times to do certain chores. If you are given a list of chores to do, it's best to just get it out of the way and do it right away, rather than just thinking about it, or possibly forgetting about it completely and getting in trouble, or disappointing someone. 

Procrastination is easy to fall victim to, especially when you're surrounded with distractions, and it's up to you to avoid them. If your homework doesn't require you to use a computer, it's best that you shut your computer off, along with the TV and your cellphone. Resist the urge to check your text messages or see whats tending on Twitter. If you do need to use the computer, stay off of your favorite websites and close out all instant messaging programs. You may even want to put a temporary block on these websites. Many anti-virus programs allow you to block and unblock certain websites. Some even allow you to block the use of certain programs. But again, this is of your own will to block this websites until you finish your work. Don't allow yourself to use or do anything distracting until you are done with what you need to get done. 

How do you plan to beat procrastination? How do you keep yourself on top of thing? Remember, you'll always enjoy yourself better without your own mind nagging at you :)