Remember how nice it was to sleep late, hang around all day and just relax over that nice long holiday break?
Well, it’s over.
Back to school, maybe work, possibly sports, attempting to balance homework, class and other responsibilities while trying not to just absolutely despise your life. It’s only been about two weeks and though the workload will only increase, it’s difficult to get back into the routine of actually doing things other than laying in bed binge-watching "Parks and Rec" (season seven, man!).
In my efforts to function as an adequate human being this semester, I have discovered various ways to be more productive, to adequately use my time and accomplish tasks without ending up a shriveled dead soul by the end of the day. These tips, I share with you, to provide you with the equivalent of a daily cup of coffee to get your week rolling.
1. Begin your work for the next day as soon as you get home from class.
It’s super easy to get into this routine. As soon as you enter your room, just immediately change into sweats, flop on your bed, begin watching "New Girl," and suddenly its 11 P.M. and you have accomplished nothing, yet are still tired. At least, that’s totally how I manage to get all my work done each day.
2. Arrive early to classes, meetings, events and practices.
Skip the stress of scrambling to get everything ready by preparing hours in advance. As college students, all we have is free time! The real fun in these things is waiting, waiting, waiting, for everyone to arrive and the actual event to start! If you’re lucky, you may even be able to catch the end of a riveting lecture and play “Spot the Sleeping Student(s)!”
3. Work out instead of going out!
College is truly the time to focus on health, as seen in the activities of most students with their sleeping and eating habits. Let's continue this trend into physical activity -- there is no better time to hit the gym than at 11 P.M. on a Friday night! Honestly, what would you rather be doing -- hanging out with your friends, or continually counting down the minutes left in your workout?
4. Budget!
Spend your money responsibly. For example, give yourself at least a $200 weekly pizza budget, as well as money for daily online stress shopping, and a generous allotment for those impulse buys that end up costing more than what you actually came to the grocery store for.
5. Go to sleep early the day before your 8 A.M.
Or don’t. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. Whether you get 14 hours of sleep or just three the night before, you will still jolt awake to the screeching ring of your alarm, feeling as if you had trudged through mud for hours instead of peacefully resting. Why do classes exist this early in the morning? I’d like to send a strongly worded email to professors who only offer their class at this hour.
6. Plan and prepare for the upcoming week every Sunday.
What else do you want to do when you roll out bed at 3 P.M. blindly searching for Advil and unable to remember your own name? You obviously accomplished all your homework on Friday and Saturday, so now you’re free to spend the whole day planning and prepping meals and other necessities for the week. Sundays are made for early risers, that’s what I’ve heard around campus!
7. Run everywhere.
Why waste time and conserve perfectly good energy by just leisurely strolling from class to class? Get some exercise and minimize gaps in your schedule by full-out sprinting across campus to get to your classes and appointments early. Just think of the potential for all of that saved time! Granted, you’ll probably be panting heavily and sweating a good bit, but isn’t that worth it for those maybe two extra minutes?
Really, getting into a good system of effective time management is as easy as climbing Mount Everest. That’s why everyone does it! Don’t listen to all those people that try to tell you that college is hard, and balancing work and play is difficult. I mean, if you allocate time in your schedule to mindlessly scroll through Facebook, then are you really wasting time? (Hint: No, duh, you’re adhering to a schedule!) Follow this advice and plan out your life, and you’ll totally be prepared and rested, fully utilizing each hour of every day!
