THE NEAR-PERFECT SUNDAY RESET ROUTINE

Sundays are known to be the worst day of the week for many university students as we always face the horrors of a new school week. However, what if I told you that this doesn’t have always HAVE to be true? Yes, you heard me, Sundays no longer have to be the worst day of the week. With the right routine, we can transform the dread of an upcoming week into being more prepared to take on whatever it has in store for us 

catch up on missed sleep.

Everyone— from scientists to doctors to our very own parents— keeps telling us that sleep is incredibly important for our health. The reality is, they’re not wrong. But let’s be real: as university students, following that advice feels almost impossible. When midterms, assignments, projects, and post-labs all hit at once, sleep tends to be the first thing we sacrifice. It’s way too easy to get swept up in the chaos and start treating sleep like it’s optional.  

Truth be told, SLEEP IS IMPORTANT. It helps us strengthen all those synapses (aka connections in the brain) that’ll help us retain information and have an academic comeback. Don’t be like me and rack up a bunch of sleep dept. Trust me, relying on daily 3-hour naps to function is NOT FUN. Beyond memory, sleep also boosts focus, creativity, and even your mood— things you NEED to perform well and feel human during exam season. Skipping sleep might get you through one deadline, but in the long run, it leaves you more drained and less productive.

plan for the week ahead.

We all know through personal experience that our time outside of class is SUPER limited, and the last thing we want to do is spend all that time figuring out what we’re supposed to be doing each day. That’s where planning AHEAD comes in clutch. Whether you use online tools like Notion or Google Calendar, or prefer old-school with a physical planner, take an hour out of your Sunday to plan out study sessions, assignment deadlines, and anything else you have on your plate.  

Doing this ahead of time helps you mentally prepare for the week and sets you up to have the ULTIMATE academic comeback. You’ll no longer have to cram for your midterms last minute or forget your assignments. Plus, planning makes it WAY easier to balance the millions of other commitments us university students are constantly judging.  

Do the week’s readings ahead of time.

Readings are probably the WORST part of university— at least in my opinion. And let’s be real, I’m probably not alone in feeling this way. They somehow manage to eat up so much time during the week that could be way better spent finishing assignments or cramming for midterms. 

BUT, if you do all your weekly readings on Sunday (or at least half), you’ll free up a ton of time during the week. That means more room to focus on important stuff like prepping for exams, submitting assignments, or maybe even taking a well-earned nap. 

Meal-prep for the entire week.  

University students tend to have a reputation of constantly living off instant noodles. And honestly, it’s hard to argue with that. Between classes, assignments and trying to have some kind of social life, who has time to cook healthy meals three times a day, every day? PLUS, with fast food basically everywhere on campus, it’s way too easy to be influenced.  

My best alternative to this is just to meal-prep everything on Sunday. I just set aside a couple hours to batch meals and boom, I’ve got breakfast lunch AND dinner on the go for the entire week. All I have to do is reheat and eat, saving so much of my time and money. PLUS, it makes me feel a little bit put together.  

Finally, make sure to do what you love.

University tends to be super stressful, trust me, I know. It’s hard to stop for a couple moments and take care of yourself. Take the last couple hours of the day to do what you love. Whether that’s watching a movie, going on a walk, or spending time with family, make sure you relax before the grind begins for the rest of the week.  

So don’t dread Sundays— use them as your secret weapon to reset, recharge, and gear up for your ULTIMATE ACADEMIC COMEBACK!

• college
• health
• lifestyle
• mental health