For a lot of people (myself included) going back to school is a really bittersweet time of the year. As nice as it is to reunite with friends that I missed over the summer and get back into the groove of college life, school can quickly become overwhelming. In an attempt to stop myself from dealing with a constant deluge of schoolwork and meetings, I’ve come up with three simple New (School) Year’s resolutions that have worked to help keep my mind at ease and my schoolwork in line, while leaving time for fun at night and on weekends

1. Don’t waste your daylight hours. Every other day, I wake up at 7:00 and go for a mile run to get my blood pumping. I originally started this habit so that I would no longer reach the third floor of Davidson out-of-breath, but I’ve found that after a morning run, I am always much more productive. Whether it’s a cup of coffee, a crossword puzzle, or a run, do something that gets you up at at ‘em early so that you can at least get a reasonable chunk of your work done in the morning, leaving little to no work to do for the nighttime.
2. Plan your meals in advance. My first semester of sophomore year,my schedule was so packed that I could never find time to eat, so ever since I’ve been planning ahead. I’m not saying go all pinterest on your meals and put salads in mason jars for every day of the week, but do use your down time to at least think about what your upcoming meals are going to look like and when you’ll have time for them. For me, this is usually the night before when I’m trying to go to sleep, but use what time works for you.
3. Practice self care. Obviously, hygiene is important all of the time, but the self care I’m talking about are the little things you do to keep yourself sane when your schedule gets rough. For me, this looks like a bubble bath or a hike on the weekend, while to my roommate it's binge watching YouTube videos, and to other friends it means a beer or two with dinner. Basically what I’m saying is don’t be afraid to treat yourself! College can be really hard sometimes and you need that bath or beer to keep you going.

Obviously, these tips may need to be tweaked to fit your schedule, budget, or interests but hopefully you can find a routine that positively affects your daily life the way these habits have affected mine. While I know that living by these habits won’t actually make me immune to school-related stress, I definitely feel like I can handle whatever this school year is going to throw at me.