Wake Up and Get the Day Going
I don’t care who you are, but no one, not even the most disciplined of people, like to go to an 8 a.m. class. On any given day sleeping in is a nice luxury to have but often an option unavailable. The first major key to having a productive and happy college experience is to simply wake up. Those extra 15 or 20 minutes won’t make any difference.
You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn but wake up and “be up” at a reasonable hour both before class and on the weekend. If your day starts earlier, you can get much more done.
Open the day with breakfast. It can be an extravagant feast or just a quick bite to hold you over, but whatever it is, eat something. You feel better and are more ready to take on the day. Or go get an early morning workout.
Studies have shown that exercise releases endorphins (the stuff that makes you feel good) and can have a huge impact on the happiness and overall quality of life for a college student. Even if you just wake up and watch some TV in the morning it gives your body time to get out of the groggy stage before your day starts. At first it may be difficult, but ultimately it opens up the day and lets you do more things that you enjoy.
Plan Ahead
We’ve all done it. We’ve all taken an easy week to enjoy, then all of a sudden you have two papers and three tests all at the same time. This is usually where we think, Well… I really wish I had already done this. But we haven’t because we decided to procrastinate.
When the work for any given class is presented, it’s usually not that strenuous of a schedule. Yes, some classes are very demanding, and when combined with several other classes, there will be difficult stints. But time management is key.
Keep an agenda or a schedule book and actually use it and update it. It’s much easier to plan things out and get tasks done when it is written down and is visible.
In all likelihood there will still be a level of procrastination, but making small changes in daily life can help avoid those all-nighters and lock down weekends in the library. A little can go a long way when you have studied well before the test rather than cramming right before. You will find you are less stressed and have more time to do whatever you want.
Set Goals
It’s easy to take the semester as it comes and worry about things when a problem arises, but this is not very rewarding. Set goals for yourself even if they are just small ones.
Goals provide a destination. They give us a place to work toward and keep us from being stagnant. The good thing about them is that they are simple.
They can be anything from wanting to get your laundry done today to wanting to graduate with a certain GPA. That’s why they’re great, you set the stipulations!
Setting goals gives you something to work for and even if you may not always reach your goals, that’s okay. Chances are you accomplished much more than if you had not set a goal. It’s easy and can even be fun to do.
Talk to People
Today most people are so wrapped up in their own boxed in lives. They always have their head buried in a smartphone, always go to the same places, and interact with the same people.
It is all well and good to have your routine, but don’t be afraid to stray away from the norm and do something unusual. Get to know the people around you.
If you sit next to someone in a class for an entire semester and say nothing to them, then you have lost a valuable opportunity. It’s possible that it could only be small talk, but you never know, it could develop into something more.
There are people who will teach you lessons, humor you, or just be there when you need them, but you must be open to them. This person could become one of your closest friends or significant other, but you will never know unless you open your mouth.
As people, we forget that our main source of learning is through each other. We just have to be open to them. You never know who you might meet.
Surround Yourself with Good People
A common theory is that you become like the five people you are around the most. College is the place where most of us find some direction in our lives. We find out what we want to do and who we want to be with. The people you surround yourself with are ultimately what make your college experience.
Associate with people who will enlighten your life and make you happy, not people who you feel are an obligation or people who bring you down. This point in our life is too brief to not take advantage of it.
Be around people who want to be around you too. You’ll each be beneficial to each other and won’t even have to think about it. Treat people with respect, and go out of your way to do that. It may not always be reciprocated, but it’s not necessarily supposed to be. Just take joy knowing you had a positive impact on someone’s life.
