Nailing down a routine in college may just be the hardest and most consistent lesson you’ll have to learn as you journey through these four years. Life happens, homework piles up and sometimes you realize it’s been a few weeks since you’ve last focused on a routine you truly enjoy doing. As I have begun my fourth and final year of college, I have learned that some people can live in the chaos of school and truly thrive, however most people need a base routine they can follow in order to feel somewhat in control. Here are my best tips for nailing down a routine and creating one you will actually enjoy.
Start small.
Your days and nights don’t need to be planned by the minute in order to have a solid routine down. Start by implementing a few daily tasks into your routine in order to work your way up. When I first started perfecting my routine, it started with picking up my room every night before I went to sleep. As silly as it sounds, I now do it no matter how late I get to bed or what day of the week it is. The small things that make up your day can be more helpful than you think when you start adding them up.
Find ways to recharge that you enjoy.
Something I found to be helpful when creating a routine is to find ways to recharge during the day through doing things you enjoy. For some people, they enjoy going on walks every day, journaling or even doing their skincare routine and allowing themselves a couple minutes for themselves. Whatever activities/habits that you find fun and can recharge from is a good start when forming of a routine.
Create reminders.
For me, it was difficult in the beginning to remember to do something each night and day, so I found it easier to create reminders on my phone. They don’t necessarily need to be at a specific time that you have to follow, but a general reminder to go on a walk, clean your room or work on an assignment you set aside specific time for can help you nail down a consistent routine in beginning.
Go to all your classes.
This one is the hardest one for most people to follow, me included. However, attending classes are a great habit to get into in general, and they can act as a guideline for what your day will look like each and every week. For me personally, I enjoy knowing that I will be in classes during a specific time block, and it helps me plan out what to do with the rest of my day.
Wake up at the same time every day.
College class schedules can be hectic and hard to manage but one thing that has helped me is waking up around the same time every day. Not only is this good for your sleep schedule in general, but when you wake up at the same time and go to bed at the same time every night, your day becomes more structured. You will have end caps you can go off of when adding in activities. For me, I know that I like to go to bed at 10:30 p.m. every night, so I need to make sure I get done all my tasks or hangout with friends prior to that time. It can be difficult to solidify at first, but after a few weeks it becomes a habit and easy to follow.