Ok, so last semester was harder than you were expecting, and maybe it didn’t go quite the way you planned. But don’t worry — this next semester is your opportunity to make up for everything that went wrong last semester, and to out-do all the success you found the previous term. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much more to do better than introducing a few simple habits into your routine.
1. Just do it.
Homework isn’t fun, but if you hurry up and get it over with, you’ll have the rest of the day to go out with your friends of binge-watch The Office. Also, if you just do it, you won’t have to worry about it later. This might sound intuitive, but it is so easy to fall down the procrastination rabbit-hole. Tomorrow might not be the due date, but why taint your day with the fact that you have multiple assignments piling up that you need to complete? Just do it. I promise it’s not that hard to sit down and dedicate a couple hours to hard work.
2. Put your phone away.
Seriously, put it up. Yes, it has internet connectivity and the notes your friend texted you from the day you missed class, but it also receives texts, phone calls, Insta notifications, and a number of other distracting things. Usually, it’s fine to have your phone out, but it’s so easy to get distracted. Eliminate your distractions, and you’ll probably get your homework done a lot faster.
3. Make time to study.
You don’t need an elaborate planner, and you don’t even need to do this every day (although you should!!). Try to carve out an hour or two to hit the books multiple times during the week, and then stick to your plans. Life is much less hectic when you have a schedule.
4. Put stuff away after you’re done with it.
The easiest way to clean up a mess is to keep it from happening. Cut down on the clutter in your life, and the time you spend competing with it, by preventing the clutter from becoming a problem. It's easy to let cups litter your bedside table or to throw your jacket on the floor instead of hanging it up, but it only takes a few seconds to clean something up and put it away. As soon as your done with something, put it up.
5. Make friends in class.
Sick days, confusing lectures, you didn’t get all the information from the PowerPoint written down in time. . . These are all things that will happen at some point during the semester. However, these are easy hurdles to overcome when you have a friend in class that you can text your questions too.
Friends in class also come in handy if you have a project that requires or encourages a partner, or if you’re someone that prefers to study with a group or partner. This does not mean you can be a slacker. Befriend someone so that you can give just as much to the relationship as you hope to gain.
6. Stay in some weekends.
Going out on the weekends is a fundamental part of college, but you don’t have to go out all the time. Maybe once a month, stay in. You can use this time to catch up on assignments you haven’t had time to get done, get ahead on studying for the test or on writing the paper just found out about, or use it to recharge from all the hard work you’ve been doing. Think of this weekend as a blank canvas. Whatever you need to get done that you just haven’t had time to do, do it then.
7. Make time for sleep.
And I don’t mean taking a power-nap during the day. It may sound juvenile, but going to bed and getting a regular amount of sleep helps your mind and body so much. It doesn’t have to be a full eight hours, but cutting down on all-nighters is a great place to start. Set a goal for X-amount of hours each night. You might not achieve your goal every night, but introducing some consistency to your sleep schedule will help planning the rest of your day so much.
8. Talk to your professor.
It’s harder to fail someone you know than it is to fail a stranger. You don’t have to become best friends with your instructor, but do try to talk to them frequently enough that they learn your name. Having a relationship with your teacher will make the course so much more rewarding for both of you. Not saying you’ll automatically get an A because you and Dr. So-And-So usually chat after class, but your professor might be more inclined to show you some leniency if they actually know who you are. Again, it is harder to fail someone you know than it is to fail someone you don’t.
9. Read the textbook.
The book is literally the companion text to the course. If you’re confused by the professor’s explanation of something, or if you just want more detail, consult the book. There’s bound to be something in your $200 textbook that’s worth reading.
10. Know when to say no.
Life is stressful enough on its own, so quit adding to the chaos for no reason. Evaluate the elective you’re taking or the club you’re thinking of joining; if it’s going to take up more time than you have or more time than you’re willing to give, let it go. If you can’t justify the effort all these extra projects are going to take, let them go.
