Where has the time gone? It’s the end of January already?!
Welcome back to campus Hawkeyes, and to all of our new students as well. It is a freezing start to the semester!
I don’t know about you, but January always feels like the admin month. A lot of emails, a lot of new stories to share, a lot of goodbyes, and a lot of hellos and you are thrown right into your coursework. It can be super overwhelming to come back to campus (sometimes winter break does not feel long enough), but trust me I get it.
This is why it’s super important to find ways to alleviate some of the stress and work on creating skills like time management and organization.
- I highly recommend planning your exam dates and assignments for all of your calendars, on one master calendar, so that you always know when something is due and can plan for it.
- Next acknowledge, that it is ok to feel tired or exhausted from college already because we are still in the transition from coming out of holiday mode (be kind to yourselves).
- Find something relaxing to do, whether this is self-care (watching a movie or listening to music), or hanging out with friends, find a way to wind down (being kind to yourself).
- Make a list of goals you want to achieve this semester, whether this is academically or something new you want to try out (like a new sport), the key is to inspire yourself and to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Some Tips I have:
If you have a morning class:
- SET YOUR ALARMS: I am not a morning person but I have chosen to do 3 8a.m. classes this semester each week because I wanted to sleep earlier and get into better habits. It is so important to set your alarm the night before so that you do not miss your class, or find yourself running with 5 minutes to go before your class starts.
- PHONE: If you are a person who got stuck with a morning class and it was not your first choice, this one is for you. Place your phone on the other side of your room, after setting the alarm. This will physically make you have to leave your warm and cozy bed and walk to your phone. And hey, if you are already up, you might as well go to the 8am lecture that you got placed in!
- SLEEP AT A CONSISTENT TIME: Notice how I did not say “sleep earlier”, this is because everyone has a different schedule, but find one that works for you, and stick to it. This will allow you to get into a routine and it will make sure that you will always wake up on time.
- HAVE BREAKFAST: Ok, this is a heated debate amongst my friends (I could make a whole post about this on its own), but I strongly believe, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You may be like (no, absolutely not) but try it out for a week and then (reply to this post), but I find your brain and body is so much more active after eating food in the morning and you are more likely to be productive and engaged in class.
Hope some of this helps you,
And Spring 2023, will be fun,
Nidhi
