Ah, the season of stress, panic, and finals is upon us! While most are busy decorating their Christmas trees and holiday gift shopping, we will be shackeled to our desks finalizing assignments and studying. During this busy time, it can be incredibly difficult to keep up with even the simplest of tasks, which is why I have complied a list of life hacks to save you time and precious energy!
Here is my list of five lazy girl hacks:
1. Meal Prep
One of the many joys of the internet is unlimited access to quick, easy recipes. During finals, it is easy to fall into unhealthy habits like forgetting to eat all day and then binge eating a frozen pizza (hey, we’ve all been there). If you have access to a kitchen, try reserving a chunk of time to make a large, simple meal full of whole ingredients. One of my personal go-to’s is a chicken stirfry. All you need is brown rice, boneless/skinless chicken breast, and any combination of veggies and spices you desire. It’s quick, easy, and nutritious! Another super easy recipe is combining whole wheat pasta, spinach, chickpeas, and Kraft Greek Feta salad dressing; this is honestly one of the most filling things to make on a time crunch. When cooking either meal, just make tons extra so that you have simple, tasty leftovers to heat up in between study sessions!
2. Shower at night
Another self-care act that seems to be forgotten during finals is showering regularly. Of course, you can always get away with not washing your hair everyday (or every two days) but showering is definitely a must! If you feel crammed for time, try showering at night right before you go to bed. You only need ten minutes, and it’s an awesome way to wind down and get ready to sleep. Bonus: you can brush your teeth at the same time! Extra Bonus: showering at night allows you to save time in the morning for the more important things, like sleep.
3. Minimal makeup
If you still want to wear makeup but feel crunched for time, try taking a more natural approach: instead of wearing foundation all over your face, just use concealor on blemishes; use tinted lipbalms instead of sticky glosses or easily-smudged lipstick; use an eye shadow primer base to take away redness, but skip the eyeshadow; curl your lashes and add a bit of mascara; and wet your eyebrow brush and just brush your brows into place instead of filling them. Voilà, you’ll look put together in five minutes!
4. Wash all your laundry in one go
Instead of separating your laundry into colours and taking five years to do it, put everything in the machine at once and wash on cold. This hack still preserves the colours without the unneccessary time comittment!
5. Walk more
During finals it can be even more impossible to make time for the gym, so try walking whenever possible. If you go to the store, park far away from the entrance. Instead of studying in your room, try walking to the nearest library or study space of your choosing. It’s amazing what a little bit of exercise can do to improve your focus and all around well being!
Hopefully you find these hacks useful, HCUBC Cuties. And remember, we have less than three weeks left until the break, you can do it!