Syllabus week is over and and your schedule is starting to fill up with homework assignments, group projects, tests to study, and club meetings. Its hard to juggle all of these things and manage to keep your sanity, so here's 5 tips on how to keep your life as together as possible.
1. Get a Planner and Actually Use It
If you're like me, you probably get a planner every year and then never write anything down in it. This semester, I actually started writing everything I have to do in it and my life has been so much easier. Check your planner every morning and night so you know what you have to get done at the beginning of the day and can check that you did it all and prepare for the next day at the end of it. By doing this you will never forget any events or assignments, and you'll never have to cram for the test for the test you thought was next week, but is actually tomorrow.
Here's some tips on how to keep your planner organized:
1. Write down the days you need to study on before a big test instead of just writing down the test day. Doing this will ensure that you actually give yourself time to study before the test and that you won't forget about the test until the day you have to take it.
2. Keep social events and school work separate by either color coding or making different sections to write them down in.
3. Cross things out after you have completed them to help you keep track of what you still need to do.
2. Watch What and When You Eat
First and foremost, you need to actually eat. With the hectic schedule and stress that comes with being a college student, it's easy to forget that you actually need to eat throughout the day. When you start your day, try to plan out what times you're going to eat at. If your schedule is packed and you only have 30 minutes of downtime in the middle of the day, then you need to make sure that you eat something during that time. Your body needs food in order to function. No food means no energy and you'll find yourself struggling to get through the day.
On top of this, try to conscious of what you put in your body. I'm not telling you to give up pizza and stock up on kale, but junk food needs to be eaten in moderation. Junk food doesn't have the necessary nutrients your body needs to function, so if you only fill up on junk, you're not going to feel well. To keep yourself energized throughout the day, try to keep your diet well rounded.
3. Drink Lots of Water
We get it, you can't function without your coffee, but coffee can't be the only thing you drink all day. The energy the caffeine in coffee gives you is only temporary and will lead to you crashing later. After your morning coffee wakes you up, you need to start drinking water to keep yourself feeling awake all day. Water, unlike coffee, will keep you hydrated. Your brain starts to feel the affects of dehydration before your body starts showing symptoms of it. This will make it harder for you to focus in class and can also affect your emotional well-being. So, if you don't want to fall asleep, zone out, or have a breakdown in the middle of class, drinks a lot of water so you can stay hydrated.
4. Do it Now
"Don't put off for later what you can do now." In other words, don't watch the Netflix now and do your homework after a few episodes. Just do the homework now and reward yourself with Netflix later. The more you put off something, the less likely you are to do it at all. The same goes for cleaning; pick up your clothes or wash dishes right after you're done using them to avoid having a big mess to clean up later. Getting things done right away prevents you from worrying about having to do it later and will usually give you free time at the end of the day where you can relax with you mind at ease.
5. SLEEP
There are going to be nights where you need to pull all-nighters or where you are going to be out partying all night and that's totally okay. However, you shouldn't be doing either of those things every night. It is important that you get enough sleep every possible night. Unless you're suffering from rampant insomnia, there is no need to stay up until 3 am watching Netflix. Besides, if you take my advice you'll have plenty of time to wind down at the end of the day and catch up on some much needed z's.
