As we come into the new year, everyone comes up with crazy, outlandish resolutions that we know we can never keep up with. So, our plan to find our “best self” turns out to be a losing battle and we start our year getting down on ourselves, not to mention having to get back into the swing of studying with the new semester. In that case, why not start the year with things we can accomplish?
1. Establish an Easy Morning Routine
Whether it means you wake up early enough to shower or you go for a brisk walk, your body will readjust to a school schedule and you won’t feel as groggy when you go to your early morning classes.
2. Eat Anything In the Morning
It would be best to eat something healthy, as sugary foods could lead to a sugar crash in the middle of the day, but eating something will jumpstart your metabolism and give you more energy to start your day.
3. Schedule Study Times
This will progressively cut down the tendency to procrastinate if you stick to the convenient times, like in between classes. Especially if you keep to it every day, you won’t find yourself spending hours studying the night before. I had a statistics professor tell me that you retain more information from studying everyday than binge-studying.
4. Keep A Daily Planner
Putting everything you need to do in a list everyday helps you remember what you need and when. Not to mention you get the satisfying feeling of checking something off your list.
5. Take Pride In Little Victories
College, jobs, and life get hard sometimes. Take some time for yourself and be proud of yourself for paying a bill, getting a B on a quiz, or running a mile. Those little ego boosts may be exactly what you need to get you through the week.
6. Make Time For Fun
As intense as studying can be, there always needs to be a balance. Make some time for your friends, as its always great to loosen up a little.
7. Eat Healthy
As easy as it can be to eat junk food and soda all of the time, it can set you back in your New Year’s resolutions. Not to mention, your body doesn’t function well on these foods. Adding fruits, vegetables, and water to your diet will progressively start to make you feel better and more energized.
8. Sleep, Sleep, and Keep Sleeping
A good night’s sleep can be few and far between at college, but as much as we think an all-nighter is what we need, we’d be better off going to sleep. Its proven that we are unable to absorb anymore information at a certain point, and sleeping gives us time to reflect on the information we have already taken in for the day.
9. Plan Your Wardrobe
Just the small act of laying out a shirt and pants for the next day takes one thing out of what you will need to do the next day. You’ll be able to sleep in and get ready for your classes, instead of stressing out over what to wear.
10. Organize Your Space
Having a clean place to put your things and to work makes everything less overwhelming and stressful. Looking at a desk cluttered with paper and books sets you up to be discouraged about studying. If you are at all like me, you end up cleaning instead of studying anyway.
There are many more little things we could all do to get our year off to a good start. Just make sure to take a breath and tell yourself that you can take this year on and make it yours.
