Now that Labor Day weekend has come and passed, we can officially kiss the sunshine and spontaneity of summer goodbye. It can be challenging to get back into the routine of coming back to school and juggling all the responsibilities that entail, so here are some useful tricks to get back on track for the semester.
1. Buy a planner . . . and actually use it
I'm convinced that there are two types of college students in the world: those who HAVE to use a planner to survive and those who meander through life somehow remembering everything they have to get done on a given day. Personally, I can hardly remember to eat breakfast unless I write it down so you can guess which type of college student I am. To those who have never been into using a paper planner; there are plenty of other ways to get all your ducks in a row, such as, a daily to-do list reminder apps on your phone. The biggest benefit to planning is that it saves time trying to dig through all of your notes, emails, and class notifications to find out what you need to get done and compiles it in one place so you can be more efficient with your precious time. Go get yourself a planner and eliminate that impending feeling of doom that you're forgetting something because, let's be honest, you probably are.
2. Sweat out the stress & nourish your body
Everyone seems to go on big gym kicks at the new year and around spring break time when they are trying to meet new years resolutions and get that perfect beach body, but fall is really a great time to start building up your fitness routine for many reasons. During summertime, there is always another adventure to go on and the schedule of a summer job can be unpredictable, making it hard to exercise consistently and make noticeable progress.
With a class schedule being the same each week, you have to wake up earlier anyway, so it's easier to jumpstart your day by going to the gym or head straight to the fitness center after class since I know you wore Nikes and a t-shirt anyway. Eating a balanced diet to fuel your body will also help you focus and give you the energy needed to go about your day. Aside from the obvious health benefits, working out is also a great opportunity to blow off steam from the stress of studying and give your mind a break from the books. Go find yourself a gym buddy, lace up your sneakers and head to the fitness center!
3. Feed your passions
School can really bog you down if you let it and it's easy to get frustrated and forget why you decided to go to college anyway. It's important to take time to refocus on yourself and remember what you're working towards.
Some great ways to refocus are practicing meditation, having a quiet time at the beginning or end of each day, or (my personal favorite) spending time outdoors. If you're an extrovert you can recharge by spending time with friends, but if you tend to be more introverted like me you need to be intentional about carving out alone time. While school can be hard, it's still important to enjoy the life you live so take time to do what you love . . . whatever that may be!
4. Catch those zzzZZZZ's
As an avid believer in getting eight hours every night, it disturbs me to hear from my fellow college students about how little they sleep. Sleep is a vital component to your physical and mental well being, and how can you get back to the grind if you're tired all the time? If you have trouble falling asleep and waste precious hours of your day just laying in bed playing on your phone: put your phone down, turn your Netflix off, make your room as dark as possible, use some lavender and valerian root essential oils and lay your head down on that pillow.
One of the best ways to fall asleep is by looking up a nighttime meditation on YouTube or finding one from the Headspace app. I promise you will thank me when you sleep like a baby and wake up fully rested, ready to tackle the next day head on.
Overall the best way to be successful in school is to take care of yourself first so you can perform your best. College isn't JUST about those Friday nights out and Saturday's in the football stadium, but also about finding yourself and preparing yourself for the course your life is about to take. Success is not made in the glamorous moments of recognition once you receive a diploma or get offered that dream job; but rather in the struggle, ugliness, and effort it took you to get to that point. So focus your eyes on the prize and keep grinding!
