August 17th, Year XXXX

I would say that the biggest problem with me and motivation is keeping it. I often have spurts of inspiration or motivation, almost like I binge my work. These "spurts" often don't last terribly long, and often they come out of nowhere. This can obviously be a problem, as consistency is very important in a lot of things, especially in work. That's at least something I learned watching a lecture by Brandon Sanderson on his writing class at BYU on YouTube. It happens in a lot of aspects in my life too, from things like schoolwork or reading, and even playing games. Another problem that arises is I get burnout very fast because of this, leading to times where I have absolutely no motivation for what I would normally enjoy or what I should be doing. Last year was a good year, I made friends, I did well in school, I felt content at home, and I didn't have any seriously negative events happen, or even any health issues, physical or mental. But nothing particularly interesting happened either, not much truly stands out when I think of last year. It was a good year, but not one full of excitement or adventure, leading me to say that I don't think I can say I have a favorite memory of last year, either in or out of school. I think traditional grading isn't necessarily "fair", but on a relative scale it is the fairest I can think of. I could go on and say that it isn't fair because it doesn't include everybody on an equal level, for example those that are good at tests get good grades, while the opposite happens for those who aren't. But what alternative could there be? No grades? Then how would one know someone's ability, and you could say that traditional grades only measure certain things like test taking. But I don't believe this is true, because there are more than tests that make up a grade, like homework or projects. You can maintain a good grade even when you're not great at tests by doing the other work well, and if you're not good at taking tests, or doing projects, then what category would you fit into? What way could grading be made far for you if you simply are not good at any of the ways you are tested in knowledge? Instead I think grading reflects effort. You can easily get a bad grade by not studying, not doing the homework, or not putting effort into your project. I think even if you aren't the smartest or the best test taker, so long as you put in the necessary effort, you can still get a fair grade. Some may have to put in less effort than others, and that may not be fair, but those people may simply be smarter, or faster learners. One way to make it easier, I think, is by liking the class. It can be hard to put effort in when it seems like that effort is a chore, and even if you put in a lot of time, that time may not equal effort on an even ratio. But if you like what you are doing, you see effort as less work and more as something fun, making it seem like you put in less effort as you almost get more "bang for your buck" when you study or do work. As for the upcoming year, I guess I'm looking forward to having more freedom, like having more money from my job and driving.