The time has come yet again: Spring Semester. You've finally made it back onto campus, books in one arm, huge bill of expenses in your pocket, and soy latte with an extra shot of espresso in your other hand. The last thing you probably want to think about is actually having to go to class, but here are a three easy ways to make sure that this semester (which can honestly be such a pain to find motivation for) is better than the last.
1. Organize now, and stay organized.
Organize now so that when you start classes, everything is ready to be used. Seriously, color code binders if you have to. Get a little one subject notebook for each class, or one big five subject one if you don't have that many classes. Get a pack of highlighters, a nice agenda, and be really on-top of your assignments. Hold on to all of your syllabi and reference them for the rest of the semester.
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I like to use accordion files to help me keep all important documents. If you're not one for physical copies, get a flash drive dedicated solely to your classwork or at least dedicate a whole folder to just school stuff. Or, utilize Google Drive, so there's no chance of you leaving your flash drive plugged into another computer on campus any time soon. The most important thing about this is making sure that everything is labeled correctly. Use a lot of folders for subjects, rubrics, past work, in progress work, AND MAKE SURE TO TITLE THEM IN A HELPFUL WAY. It takes two seconds longer to create a title that will help you quickly search for and identify your assignment. For example, "Andrew Jackson Term Paper, draft" instead of "paper".
2. Make time for assignments and homework.
Something my friends and I are going to try this semester is a weekly study group. I highly recommend trying to get a study group together with your friends. Not only is it a guaranteed time to see your buddies after your schedule gets a little crazy, but it's a really great way to hold yourself accountable for getting actual work done. Think of it kind of like working out with friends -- you hold each other accountable!
If you can't find a way to have a consistent study group with friends, you can still try to schedule weekly trips to the library or a coffee shop to make yourself work. I've made a little deal with myself that I can only purchase coffee when I'm traveling, or when I've really earned it. Earning it, to me, is getting up at 7am to go for a nice long walk before classes. Earning it can also mean going over to a coffee shop to read four chapters of some almost unreadable convoluted academic literature. If coffee isn't really your thing, you could replace coffee with a brownie, a slice of cake, a scone, you name it! Treat yo'self.
3. Take care of your body.
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. I can already feel some of you just scrolling on past this part like, "I'm so healthy already, I already know what she's going to say." STOP RIGHT THERE.
Make sure you're eating enough, and not just junk food. I've always been a foodie, even in college, so I was utterly shocked when friends of mine could live off of microwave meals and ham sandwiches. Get your damn vitamins, fruits, vegetables, proteins, fats, the whole nine yards. If you don't, your body is not going to have the energy to do what you want it to. You'll get sick, your skin will revolt, your digestion will be garbage -- the last thing you want right now is a body that isn't capable of doing everything we're asking it to. We'd never drive a car without gas in the tank. You can't ask your body to do the same.
On that note, make sure you're getting enough sleep. Seriously. Sleep is free, feels awesome, and helps in innumerable ways. There's no excuse. Get everything done in the daytime. If you can't, you have too much on your plate. Cut some things out. We'd never drive a car with four flat tires.
Lastly, make sure you're getting some exercise. I know this all seems like a lot, but it's doable. Now, I'm not saying you have to go to the gym every day, but 20-minutes of yoga every morning is a small chunk out of your day, and can make a huge difference. If yoga's not your thing, do 20-minutes of whatever is your thing! Go for a walk down to that coffee shop to study, offer to join your friend while they walk their dog, take a P.E. class of some sort. If you hate working out, you just haven't found the thing that you enjoy yet. We're made to move, people. So get moving.
If you enjoyed this article, let me know! Otherwise, have a fantastic semester. I know it's hard, but you can do it! Good luck. -JW
