Let’s be real: it’s so hard to get out of bed no matter the reason. I literally spend the majority of my day planning my next nap. I love sleeping more than I love myself, but I also really love the life I have outside of my blanket nest which requires that I leave said nest. With an active extra-curricular life, a job and a full course load, finding balance can be very hard even for people who are not as lazy as I am. I’ve developed a penumbra of methods that make my life doable with minimal amounts of effort on my part.

For the first category, let’s talk beauty. This can be tricky and confusing for people who are not familiar with make-up. Hair care was a fascination of mine from high school and my make-up knowledge comes from hours of watching tutorials (I recommend Michelle Phan, Nikkie, and Shanoxo).

1. Wash your hair every other day. I know what you’re thinking but this cuts out a good hour of your time every single day if you wash your hair daily. So, put a baseball cap on or dry shampoo before you go to sleep (it absorbs the oils as they appear so, you’ll wake up with semi-fresh hair).
2. Find a makeup look that you can do in 10 minutes or less. For me, it’s a small cat eye, nude eyeshadows, powder contour and a tinted lip balm. I do not recommend starting out with that if you’re new to makeup. I do recommend practicing often until you find the look you want, though.
3. Get dressed. No, I’m not talking about breaking out all of your Pinterest board outfits. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a college student like myself. Just spend some time putting on a fresh t-shirt and maybe a real bra. You’d be surprised how productive you can be if you feel cute.
4. Accept that you will not always feel amazing. It’s part of life and honestly, your days should not be centered around how you look. Yes, you should take care of yourself, but it’s silly to spend hours of your day to look perfect when you’ve got so many more important things to do like, study, Netflix or sleep.

Now, let’s talk organization. This does require a little motivation. Unbelievably, preparation is still key.

1. Get a planner and write every single little detail in there. Meeting coming up? Write it down. Assignments? Yep. syllabus? Write every single reading and class meeting down.
2. Make your bed. Logically, you’re just going to mess it up again; however, making the bed sends a signal to your brain that the day has begun. You’re much less likely to get back into bed once you’ve spent time making it pretty. Plus, if your bed is made, you’re more likely to put your clothes in the laundry and wash that three-day old coffee cup (yeah, I see you).
3. Have a day for laundry. You need a schedule. Wash laundry every week regardless of how much clean underwear you have because life runs so much more smoothly when you have matching socks with no holes in them.
4. Make a list and work on one item on that list at a time. You’re not a good multi-tasker. Accept it and move on.

The hardest part about productive habits, however, has a lot to do with your mentality which requires quite a bit of self-awareness.

1. It can be hard to get out of bed but your body has a natural sleep schedule. Do yourself a favor and don’t compromise that sleep schedule unless there’s a gun to your head. If you naturally wake up at 7 a.m., don’t stay in bed until noon cat napping. It messes your entire body up and will make you sluggish the entire day. You’ll feel bad and you won’t get near as much done. Take a nap that afternoon instead.
2. Commit to the E-word. That’s right, you gotta exercise. No, this isn’t so you can be a fit chick or anything. Exercising for about twenty minutes helps you keep your energy levels up so you won’t be dead after classes. Spend it on the elliptical, take the stairs, yoga, whatever you want. Those twenty minutes can be the difference between mindful studying or crashing mid-study session.
3. Drink water. Just do it. You know it’s good for you. Find a way that makes drinking a gallon/two-to-three liters painful and do it.
4. You don’t have to work so hard on being positive when you erase the negative. A boy broke your heart? Block his number and social media. Made a bad grade? Talk to your professor and put it in the shredder. Toxic relationship? Bye, Felicia. What you allow into your life will continue. If you only allow for good energy then you will receive it.

Eventually, you will fall off the wagon. You’ll sleep in one day or forget to brush your teeth after an all-night study session. It’s okay. One slip-up won’t break a habit. If you follow these things more often than not, though, I promise you a great semester with a maximum amount of z's and a minimum amount of stress.