Being on time is something that I have struggled with for many, many years. While my timeliness has improved, especially in my Senior year at KWHS, it still needs some work. However, that is not to discount the improvements that have been made focusing on my timeliness. With my relatively easy schedule for this school year, only having 4 periods at KWHS and leaving at 12:44PM, my timeliness has significantly improved compared to my Junior year. Most of those improvements come down to a better sleep schedule and a slowly improving diet, but there are other factors that I wish to pass on to you, the reader, in this short opinion piece.

To begin, we’ll focus on your diet. Your diet, aside from influencing your physical health, is also an influence on your mental health. It influences your mood, your sleep, and your opinions. For example, if you have a breakfast consisting of heated-up take-out pizza from the previous night and a bottle of water, you don’t feel your “best” as the day progresses. However, I’ve noticed that a good meal goes a long way in bettering your mental health. Eggs or a protein-focused breakfast burrito are some of the best foods you could have when waking up. In addition, I suggest taking a hot shower before you consider eating, as I’ve noticed it “wakes me up” and prevents me from simply slumping back into bed.

Continuing, we’ll focus on your sleep schedule. Most people these days do not get enough sleep, period. Most only get a few hours at best, around 5 or 4 hours per night, and can only stay awake during the day because of a diet consisting strictly of energy drinks and coffee. My sleep schedule was similar to this previous example, but I slowly changed it over two years. My schedule starts at 10:45PM, where I have a 15-minute “wind down” period before bed. During this time, I brush my teeth, make my bed, and give myself a small amount of time to scroll on my phone. After 15 minutes, I put my phone next to me and set my alarm for 6:00 or 6:30AM, depending on whether I plan to wash my hair in the morning. I have noticed that this specific schedule fits me best. However, this schedule may not work for everyone. I recommend at least 7 hours of sleep, though most medical professionals recommend 8. In the modern day, you likely will struggle to get 8 hours of sleep each night, but that is no excuse to sleep for half of that.