This year, I’ve been trying to get more organized and hand in all my stuff on time. There’s a new class called Personal Growth and Positivity, or PGP for short, which focuses on exactly that. This is my first PGP blog post of the year. ‘New Year New Me’ was the name of the project that the PGP teachers introduced to us, posing the driving question, ‘What strategies can I use to maintain balance in my life and support my own well-being?’

At the start of this project, there were various tasks we had to complete, such as learning how to use the app ‘Things’ and the app ‘Calendar,’ as well as going through and cleaning and organizing a room in our house. Here are some before-and-after photos of what I had to do

We did all those things to help us stay organized, on task, focused, prepared, and surprisingly happy. A significant part of this project was the implementation of positivity systems, which were different systems we used to maintain a positive mindset, such as journaling or meditating. In class, we practiced happiness techniques, which were daily tasks. There were five main happiness techniques we had to follow: on Monday, we had to meditate; on Tuesday, perform a conscious act of kindness; on Wednesday, engage in exercise; on Thursday, journal; and on Friday, write down three different gratitudes. We repeated these tasks throughout the month. I enjoyed some of them, but not all. My favorite techniques were journaling, exercise, and meditation. I found that these activities were quite relaxing and enjoyable. Surprisingly, I now regularly meditate and go for runs, something I hadn’t thought I would do before. While I would continue journaling if I had the time, I think I am just too busy for regular journaling.

I briefly mentioned the app “Things,” but I genuinely believe that it’s an app everyone should have. We were required to learn how to use it, and it has become one of, if not the most useful app I own. Things really helps keep you organized because you can time different important tasks and jot down little side thoughts or things you want to remember.

By the end of this project, I felt like I had finally taken a big step in becoming better at being organized and prepared. I sincerely hope that the things I learned in this project are skills I carry with me when I leave high school.