Everyone has those days (every day) when staying in bed seems like a better idea than getting ready and going to class. You know it’s a bad idea and maybe feel guilty after the fact. You tell yourself, “That was the last time,” but later in the week (the next day) you do the exact same thing. It’s a vicious cycle, but hopefully these five tips will help you resist the temptation of skipping class.

1. Tell your friends:

I’m sure everyone has heard that when you’re trying to lose weight, you should tell everyone close to you so they can hold you accountable for your actions. The same should apply to classes! No one wants to disappoint their loved ones, and the feeling of guilt after disappointing someone is reason enough to avoid skipping class.

2. Make plans with someone before/after class:

When you live off-campus, it can be a little more difficult to motivate yourself to go to campus. You have to get ready, walk to the bus stop or drive your car and then walk across campus to class. Some days it can be hard to motivate yourself to even get up when you think about the journey to even get to class. If you have someone waiting for you, then it’s another case of not wanting to disappoint someone. Once you’re on campus for a reason that’s enjoyable, like meeting a friend for coffee, then it’s easier to go to class.

3. Start the day early:

There are many benefits to being an early riser: time to workout, eat breakfast, grab some coffee and have an abundance of time to get ready. All of which can put anyone in a fantastic mood! When you start your day off with a positive attitude, it lasts throughout the day.

4. Think about the future:

When you wake up, ask yourself, “is an extra hour or two of free time really worth jeopardizing my grades? How will bad grades affect my future?” This is usually the most effective way to get me to go to class. I’m not going to let an extra hour of sleep decide how my life will play out. You can’t get good grades if you don’t go to class, and you can’t get into grad school if you don’t have the right grades.

5. Just do it:

Sometimes, nothing else works and forcing yourself to go to class is the only thing you can do. Don’t ask yourself if you want to go to class, you already know the answer. Ask yourself, should I go to class? YES. The answer is always yes, so that’s what you should do.

Hopefully, these five tips will help you in your college career. Skipping class is not something that will get you very far in life, so it should obviously be avoided as often as possible. But remember, a little slip up is OK once in a while.