This week’s advice is brought to you by Erik Aho.

“How can I stay awake during class?”

How do you stay awake in class and get through the day at Village? Just ask our perked-up senior, Cole!  When he’s not colliding into fences and getting sent to the emergency room, you can see him ingesting 300mg of caffeine before 8:30am. So, tip one: caffeine!

Another helpful tip? If you’re taking one of Jeff’s classes, sit in the seat closest to the door. This trick is only applicable if the class is viewing something on the Smart Board. By facing the board, Jeff is unable to see your face, and if you balance your head on your hand propped up, you can sleep peacefully without Jeff knowing a thing!

Ok, the best tip though? Prioritize your sleep. Be sure to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Another one? Participate during class. Staying engaged will help keep you alert.

“How can I motivate myself to come to school on an everyday basis?”

You might be asking yourself “Wow, Erik is answering this question? We might as well have Sarah answer it.” Although I have been spotty with attendance in the past, there are some objective rules and tips to get yourself to school.

First, identify the reason for missing school in the first place. It’s important to differentiate between being incapable of attending school that day and just lacking discipline. For many students at Village, including myself, a lack of discipline is the common answer. Discipline is more important that motivation; motivation is nothing but a fickle emotion. Motivation may be enough to get out of bed and go to school, and that’s great. However, when the motivation isn’t there, you need to be able to rely on discipline.

Last spring, when I decided to come to school every single day, I put a tally on the board to mark how many consecutive days I’ve been going. I finally broke it a couple months later after 80 consecutive days. And from personal experience, many of those 80 days I got out of bed because of discipline, not motivation. 

Here is Jocko Willink, ex SEAL member, talking about discipline: