With the next semester looming around the corner, it’s important to establish foundational habits that will ensure your success and health in college. It’s easy to go downhill, but going uphill can be achieved if you discipline yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle and establish these 11 habits before you get back to the old grind.
1. Start a daily or weekly workout routine.
Even working out a few times a week will save your spirits in college. There’s nothing like a good workout after a stressful day of classes.
2. Establish a solid sleep schedule.
Everyone knows that a sleep schedule in college is a joke. However, if you start now, then maybe you’ll at least carry some of it over to college.
3. Save your money (kind of).
It’s not easy to save money, but even putting a few dollars aside every now and then will leave your wallet thanking you later.
4. Encourage others around you.
Encouraging others will establish good spirits and good relationships. Not to mention that you will need tons of encouragement yourself. Whether it’s buying a friend coffee, giving someone flowers or even just writing a little note, encouragement is a necessity.
5. Budget your time.
Summer is for adventures, fun and relaxation. However, it’s also important to realize that when you get to college, you won’t have all the time that you have over the summer, so time management is a great habit to start.
6. Get used to waking up early.
Showing up at those 8 a.m. classes won’t get any easier throughout the semester.
7. Drink a lot of water.
Yes, drink a lot of water. While no one can control how you spend your pastime on college weekends, your body will just feel better and have a lot more energy if you start giving it the right substances now during the daytime.
8. Pay less attention to social media.
You’ll save hours of your day that you can dedicate to school work instead of the photo your friend posted yesterday. While it’s not wrong to post on social media and to be aware of your family and friends, you’ll thank yourself later when productivity comes first.
9. Keep in touch with your friends.
This could contradict the previous statement depending on how you keep in touch with your friends, but it’s all about timing. Keeping in touch with your friends now will make it easier down the road when you may be apart from your hometown friends.
10. Learn how to read and write again.
After going a whole summer without academic reading or writing (unless you take summer courses), you’ll need to mentally prepare yourself for what’s ahead.
11. Reward yourself.
You won’t always get a perfect grade. You won’t always be on top of things. But beating yourself down is all too easy in college, so it’s important to realize now that your mental health and self-confidence come first and are the foundation for success in college. Don’t build yourself up, but have a humble reward system for yourself to wind down after a long day or week.
