Ever catch yourself in the thick of a routine? Chances are you answered yes to this question. But why? What is it about a routine that keeps us in check? To be honest, I don’t really know. But what I do know is that with a routine, I am bound to feel much more productive upon the completion of an activity. Here are 17 routines that go unnoticed that contribute to a successful college day.

1. Setting an alarm.

2. Making your bed.

3. Making yourself breakfast.

4. Giving yourself enough time to finish the first cup of coffee in your room and make another for the road.

5. Brushing your teeth before class.

6. Listening to your favorite song up the hill on the way.

7. Having a set lunch time for each differently scheduled day.

8. Having a set friend, or ten, to eat with on those days.

9. Carving out a time and place to do your work.

10. Allotting yourself free time to socialize amidst your seemingly endless sea of work.

11. EATING…enough and the right stuff.

12. Giving yourself a rough (very rough) estimate of a bed time.

13. Sometimes not going to bed at that time-- because how many times are you in college?

14. Walking back to your place so late you can almost see the sun peaking out from the sky.

15. Late night chats about life with your roomie.

16. Closing your eyes and thinking about all the things that had to happen to get you here.

17. Waking up and doing it all over.

This isn’t anything fancy, but man does having a routine like this make these somewhat stressful days the most enjoyable.