College students have a hard time finding time to do things. I know this because I have gone through this. Over the summer, I told myself that I was going to find time for things this semester.
I started by mapping out my class schedules and work schedule on a Google Calendar. Then, I looked at every possible amount of free time and promised myself I would make the most of it.
In previous semesters, I have struggled with overworking myself and procrastinating.
That sounds contradictory, but I overworked by focusing on other things that would distract my mind from academic work, hence the procrastination. I also neglected my health severely. I would forget to eat, drink water and exercise.
This seems to be an issue with other campus students as well. I know I sometimes find comfort in my friends who also bed rot and procrastinate. It’s almost a fact that college students struggle with acclimating from high school/home life to college life. But I am now in my third year, I can’t cling on to that excuse anymore.
There had to be a change soon in my daily schedule or I would continue to burn myself out time and time again. So, I meticulously planned my day from the second I woke up to the second I went to bed. Not really the second, but by the hour.
I wake up at six in the morning, drink some water and walk outside for an hour.
My classes don’t start until 10 in the morning so I even have time to go to the cafeteria for some breakfast. Then, I come back, shower and head to class.
This may sound like the normal morning routine for someone who exercises regularly and has their life figured out, but that is not me. I like to sleep in and procrastinate every task of the day.
Living on campus makes it very easy to be lazy when you have classes later in the day. I don’t have to get out of bed to drive, find parking, walk to class and make sure I’m not late. I just have to make sure that I am out of my apartment 15 minutes before my class to be there on time.
There have been times that I have started walking nine minutes before my class and I made it a minute before the class started.
It’s almost like an adrenaline rush to see how fast I can get to class while racing the clock. I’m sure my professors don’t appreciate it, much less my body. I started to feel tired and sluggish by the time it came to lunch. I had no energy to stay awake, much less study during the day.
The answer to all my problems was very simple. It was waking up and moving my body early in the morning.
Every day that I wake up early and take a walk I feel refreshed, awake and less tired during the day.
I think my struggles before were that I didn’t have great time management skills on top of having time blindness. College makes time go faster.
At the time of writing this, I am about to start my third week of school. Mentally I still feel like it’s the first day of school.
Having habits that you stick to every day helps build a more structured day routine as well as a good sleep schedule. I like to think that I was enlightened by God himself, but I know it’s just life coming at me and forcing me to get it together.
I asked my friend Jaya Henton, a junior majoring in Secondary Education, what healthy habits she has created for herself throughout college and she said, “I exercise more, I’m able to get more steps in and I feel like that keeps me healthier than if I didn’t walk as much.”
I encourage everyone to create healthy and mindful habits that revolve around their work and school life.
I wish I had started in my earlier college years, as I truly believe I could have had a smoother college experience.
Being in college can be a large stressor for most people, so having a simple routine and habit of getting exercise and eating can lighten the stress of academia. I used to be one of the students who would bed rot all day and only wake up to go to class or heat up a ramen noodle cup.
Take it from me, you will be tired, cranky, overworked and end up hating the taste of ramen noodles. Walking, biking, running, jogging and even sitting outside soaking up the sun does more for you than studying for countless hours ever will do.
As young adults, our bodies may be healthy enough to do nothing all day, but you are forever aging and you can’t stop that. So, get up and move your body and prepare yourself to take on the day!