<p>This omnipresent void sucked us all in, at one point or another.</p>
<p>School, this double edged sword, is to blame. I am to blame.</p>
<p>Every day we go to school, is a day in the trenches; however, I am unequiped to fight.</p>
<p>Assist me in my quest. Help me locate the equipment that I will need, so I can train for the upcoming battle. The remainder of High School; College and Law School.</p>
<p>Lately I am disorganized, not focused, and I can't bring myself to study. I repell from my books!</p>
<p>I can't even concentrate on writing; writing this thread, for instance.</p>
<p>So much drama, I NEED to know how to overcome it. I want to be the best at everything I persue, such as: law. But, I don't know how.</p>
<p>That is exactly what my problem is, though. However, I love working. I feel great after I accomplished what I set out to do. But lately, I don't. It became tedious. I wonder: Is it due to my messy enviornment? Maybe I should clean my room; that way I can focus?</p>
<p>Can anyone share his or her experiences in overcoming this obstacle?</p>
<p>...and you probably need to unwind. Big time. Been there, done that -and haven't realized how stressed I've been until I've had a chance to get out of whatever environment is causing the stress.</p>
<p>I like Concerneddad's advice. Your parents will probably understand if you tell them that you are stressed and feel spread too thin.</p>
<p>Be careful that you are not slipping into one of the various levels of depression that my require the assistance of others in your life including possibly professional help. It's no big deal if this happens, since you would be among millions of people. </p>
<p>With that said, when you are feeling overwhelmed by the "Big Picture", a good way to overcome that is to focus on the little things. For example, draft a "To Do" list with a handful of tasks with each tasks requiring no more than a half hour to complete. Your list might state, "(1) Read 10 pages of Book X, (2) "Choose two books from the library on Subject Y", (3) "Ask classmate Rob if I can compare his class notes to mine so determine if I missed any information," (4) "Email my Dad and ask him what color shirt he wants me to get him with Big University logo on it."</p>
<p>As you complete each tasks, put a big checkmark next to the task showing you got the job done. Complete the tasks in whatever order you want.</p>
<p>Once you finish your first checklist (or have concluded you will save one or two of the items for another list), try drafting the next one. </p>
<p>Save your To Do lists. Put them in a pile and at the end of the week, look through them and notice all of the check marks. Smile -- because you have just had a productive week.</p>
<p>Once you start focusing on the small tasks, you won't have to worry about the big picture. Your sense of accomplishment will increase while your sense of frustration will decrease.</p>
<p>If you still feel overworked after you graduate HS, take a "gap year" before college. Volunteer, travel, or work. It can help you refocus for the next 4 years.</p>
<p>There may actually be something to your "messy environment" theory. I hate cleaning my office, personally. Whenever I do, though, I find myself feeling refreshed and more ready to work.</p>
<p>It's possible that part of what's getting you down is focusing a bit too much on long-term goals instead of short-term goals. I can feel a little overwhelmed when I think about paying off my entire mortgage. But I don't need to pay off my entire mortgage right now - I just have to make the next payment, after which I'll focus on making the one after that.</p>
<p>You don't have to solve the problem of law school now, or college now, or the rest of high school now. You have a discrete set of tasks to do today. Break that set of tasks down into a list of smaller sub-tasks, and then focus only on the next task on your list. When you've done that one, focus on the one after that. Give yourself a little reward of some kind for finishing each task along the way. </p>
<p>When I was sixteen, I also dreamt of being the best at everything I pursued. It wasn't to be. Ultimately, though, I did discover that there was one thing I was uniquely qualified to be: myself. I'm not the best there is at any one thing, but like you, I have a unique blend of talents. I'm not the world's best lawyer, but there have been times when I'm convinced I was the best person possible to represent a particular client with a particular problem at a particular time. I'm not the world's best musician, but there have moments when I've achieved transcendence, and expressed some combination of emotions in my playing that no one else could have expressed the same way. Was Jimmy Hendrix a better guitar player than Carlos Santana? I reject the premise of the question. Hendrix was the best at playing like Hendrix, and Santana is the best at playing like Santana. The world needed both of them, just like the world needs what you have to offer it.</p>
<p>I've just come home from school, and am throwing away papers from the first 19 years of my life. It rips me apart to let go of all this paperwork, but I am feeling refreshed for a clean start.</p>