There are a lot of tedious tasks in life. Our daily routines aren’t easy, and there are roadblocks and inconveniences that fatigue us little by little, but we couldn’t operate without them.
Yet rather than putting minimal effort into these tasks and simply trudging through the day, we should put in passion and care.
We’ve all been in the classic high school situation: a group project. The worst part about group projects is that you’re often surrounded by slackers, and you end up taking the burden of the load. If we all had a common social contract to put in effort and care in our work, we could achieve so much more. Put some effort into a visually engaging presentation. Add some more color to that poster. Slip in a few funny quips into your speech. Your class will appreciate it, your teachers will appreciate it, and you’ll all feel a better sense of accomplishment with a more efficient division of labor. And your PowerSchool will reflect the hard work, too.
Putting in that effort does take more time, though. A chronic trait of high schoolers is procrastination; many have an extreme problem with delaying obligations out of stress, anxiety, or laziness.
“What procrastination does is rob us of enjoying the present moment, because we’re thinking about the things we’re not doing in the back of our minds all the time,” school psychologist Lisa Geissler said.
By removing stressful factors earlier, we experience joy in so many little ways. Geissler says that putting work before leisure makes the leisure ever sweeter.
“They talk about triggers in terms of stress…the antidote to that are called glimmers…those things that make you go, ‘that was such a lovely moment that just happened,’” Geissler said.
There are a lot of assignments that seem like pointless busy work. You might never need to know iambic pentameter or the unit circle ever again, but that’s not the point. High school doesn’t just teach necessary information we’ll need for the rest of our lives. It teaches us how to cope with stress and workload. It teaches us how to collaborate and be a good leader. It teaches us life skills that are infinitely valuable in any line of work. The effort you put into your daily workload will pay off in the future. Good habits put you leaps and bounds ahead of your peers in college and make you the premier pick in a job search later on.
And there’s something else happening when we slow down enough to care. There’s a quiet revolution in our minds and bodies when we actually notice what we have instead of what we lack. Gratitude isn’t just found on Thanksgiving—it’s a daily practice with deep benefits.
According to an article by the American Brain Association, gratitude practices are linked to lower levels of stress, improved emotional regulation, and better overall mental health.
At a time when anxiety and burnout are increasingly normalized, gratitude offers a grounding way to move around it. It’s a way to interrupt rumination and redirect attention toward stability rather than scarcity. When we pay attention to gratitude—even for just a few minutes a day—we are activating parts of the brain tied to emotional regulation and well-being, wiring positive neural pathways that make resilience more natural over time. When we feel grateful, we trigger neurotransmitters in areas of the brain associated with higher-order thinking, emotional awareness, and motivation. Practicing gratitude boosts the production of dopamine, leading to a higher overall positive outlook.
The benefits extend beyond short-term wins. A NIH study of older adults found that those who consistently felt grateful had about a nine percent lower risk of dying over the next few years compared with those who felt less thankful—even after accounting for lifestyle and health factors. Gratitude could be part of a healthier, longer life.
It also strengthens our relationships and communities. When we acknowledge others and express genuine thanks, we build social support that lifts us up when life gets hard. We’re proven to sleep better, feel more grounded, and cope with adversity more effectively when gratitude becomes part of our daily life—not just an afterthought.
And here’s the surprising part: gratitude doesn’t require huge effort. It doesn’t demand perfection. You don’t need a mountain retreat or to become a mindfulness guru. Start simple—write down three things you’re grateful for each morning, say “thank you” with intention, or send a message to someone who made your life better. Over time, these small acts will reshape how you see your world.
In a culture obsessed with hustle and constant achievement, practicing gratitude slows you down long enough to notice the little things. When we put in real effort—into our work, our responsibilities, and our relationships—and pair it with gratitude, we stop just surviving our days and actually enjoy them.
