BY JOSIE HOLT

Although we are but halfway through the school year I have already been stricken with the feared senoritis. It’s strange seeing how I have always been a fairly good student. I still get assignments finished and retain good grades, but I no longer feel pressure to do as well as I used to. So, to combat this creeping illness, I decided to take charge and try different methods to improve my productivity and drive to finish school this year.

But how does one cure senioritis? Surprisingly The New York Times had an article about curing senioritis. The article suggests some solutions that can be used separately or in conjunction with one another.

First up: pursue your passion. This was tricky for me as I don’t have any passions at the moment. So I tried to discover a passion instead. I decided on learning about the stock market mostly because I’m planning on going into business in college and it would be practical knowledge. I spent every morning of Christmas break learning and checking the stock market. I started following my parents’ investments, and I can definitely say that I know what the stock market is at this point. I’m a bit too apprehensive about actually investing, but the background knowledge is a good asset for the future, and it lets me spend more time with my dad which is always nice.

Would I recommend this strategy? Probably. I think that taking the time to invest yourself into something is important, but I also understand that sometimes those things can take over your life and even become stressful. It did feel sort of like a chore at times– which is something I was hoping to avoid– so I dont think it’s the cure to senioritis.

Next was practicing adulting, and ignoring that pandering name. I actually didn’t really feel any need to do this. The article suggests making a list of typical “adult” activities such as cooking, cleaning, or driving. Good news is, I already know how to drive, clean, and cook. This method was really just normal life for me, but I can see how some people in different situations might benefit from something like this. I would suggest this method if you don’t typically do any of those activities already. Knowledge like that will be extremely helpful when you’re on your own. However, this was definitely not the cure for my senioritis.

The next method was to get a part-time job. This was also pretty unhelpful for me. I actually already have two part-time jobs. Having a job to go to did force me to be a little more productive. I felt like I had a deadline since I had somewhere I had to be at a specific time– like school. This could be a good method if you’re feeling unproductive, plus you get paid which is always good.

The last method I tried was to put down my phone. I can admit that I do depend on technology a lot. It really has become a habit to just pick it up when I’m bored or in an awkward situation. The article suggests to go tech free for a week, but I’m weak and decided to only go for a day. I figured that If I found it in any way beneficial that I could continue. It was a hard day. I usually watch Tiktoks for an hour when I wake up, so I got up at the same time but I had nothing to do, and I couldn’t go back to sleep. The day was pretty boring, so I ran errands and tried reading, but I didn’t feel more or less productive at the end of the day. I think, in order to yield more palpable results I’d need to continue to go technology-less for a couple more days like the article suggests.

Overall, I think the most effective method was pursuing my passions. Even though at certain points it did feel like a chore, I always ended up doing it even though I didn’t have any obligation to. I also have been pretty good at keeping up with the stock market even though the break has ended. This was an effective method for me, but it’s not going to be the perfect solution for everyone. There are also many other methods to curing senioritis, so taking a bit of time to research some solutions may also be beneficial.