You’re hanging out with your latest summer fling, driving down a long road surrounded by fields of sunflowers. The windows are down, and your hair is flowing the wind without somehow getting at all tangled. Everything is perfect: your makeup is poppin’, skin is glowin’, and all is right in the world.
Just kidding, your alarm is going off. It’s your last alarm, whereas the first three alarms were set to maybe give yourself more time to wash your hair and maybe even eat breakfast. But now, you have to settle for leggings and a t-shirt… did you wear that two days ago? Who knows.
We’ve all been there. But is that really how you want to start this year? Here are some tips and tricks to Getting Your Shit Together 2019.
1. Establish a routine that actually suits you
Okay, yes. Us college students are always told, “Set up a routine! Schedule everything!” *Insert eye roll.* But don’t think of it like that! We all think that there’s one way to set up a daily routine, but one routine cannot possibly fit everyone.
Some folks like to work out in the morning, whereas some like to work out at night. Maybe you don’t even like breakfast food but know you have to eat something in the morning… (yes, you can eat ramen at 8:00 AM, who’s the boss of you?) Making sure your needs are taken care of should be just as highly prioritized as your educational and extracurricular obligations! Make yourself comfy in your own existence!
2. Wake up (at least) an hour before you need to get ready
Yeah, this sounds a little weird. But hear me out.
I started waking up an hour before I have to start getting ready to head to classes for the day. Let me tell you, not having to shower or immediately run out of the door as soon as I wake up is an experience. I can cook myself breakfast, maybe throw in a quick load of laundry, or sit in my pajamas and scroll Instagram without worrying about how much less time I have to get ready!
Plus, trying to get ready with the intent of looking cute at the end is extremely difficult when you’re groggy. Scheduling time to yourself is important, and who really wants to be rushing around first thing in the morning?
3. Imagine school work and other priorities are like work
This sounds silly, but by imagining your college-related obligations are similar to a 9-5 job, you can really save yourself a lot of time and energy.
Instead of figuring out when to read the next chapter for this class while also considering how long it’ll take to write your next research paper for that class, create daily slots of time where you 100% commit to working on exactly what you need to. By the time 8 or 9 o’clock rolls around, things can be more likely to wind down.
Then, when you need to cram for a test or something randomly comes up, you’re not swamped with eight-thousand other things to do when it’s already 10:00PM!
4. Plan your outfit the night before
Yeah, this is a classic bit of advice we’ve all heard. But honestly? This has seriously decreased how stressed I am in the morning.
Even if it’s just a simple t-shirt and denim shorts combo, I have time to remember that I have earrings and a necklace that’d look cute with it. I also remember that my shoes in the closet look better than the ones I wear every day because they’re already sitting out by my backpack.
It sounds so silly and so annoyingly easy, and that’s because it is. It also diminishes how often you have to do the smell test…
5. Get busy
Nothing is worse than knowing you have all the time in the world to get everything you need to do, but not accomplishing any of it.
Busy is a relative term, seeing as everyone has different levels of busyness. Some thrive when every single minute of their days are planned, while some flourish with more free time. However, there is such a thing as having too much free time.
Even if it means signing up for another extracurricular activity, or scheduling an extra 2 workouts per week, give yourself something to do! But don’t do something that requires too much time commitment or energy, this is supposed to ensure that you don’t have too much time on your hands.
Follow these tips and tricks for a great school year! Good luck!