Life is messy, classes shift, work hours change, and social stuff pops up. You’re not
failing, your schedule is just unpredictable. A routine isn’t simply waking up at 5am,
drinking a lemon water and running the longest possible distance, routine is an
accumulation of the little things, the tiny habits and the things we know we can
commit to everyday, starting small. I’ve recent been using the productivity method
daily planner by grace Beverly, which really helped me to organise and prioritise
certain tasks.
Firstly, its important to choose your non-negotiable tasks every day, these are the
things that are the bare minimum, that you are committed to completing before the
end of the day. For example, going to the gym or drinking a litre of water. Similarly,
the concept of anchor habits are a good way to fit things into your schedule, these
are 5-10 minute habits that you can fit anywhere into your schedule, these are
important as they don’t carry the weight of a full routine. They’re low-pressure habits
that still help you feel grounded, even when everything else is up in the air. Anchor
habits work because they’re flexible, you can plug them into a random ten-minute
break between classes or squeeze them in right before bed. Over time, these tiny
habits act like stabilisers, they help you feel grounded, productive, and more in
control, even on days when everything else feels chaotic and when you haven’t had
a chance to get the ‘bigger’ tasks out the way, its important for us as humans to feel
like we have accomplished something each day or it becomes easy to feel lost and
like we are wasting the days away.
Another important aspect of routine, is to make rest part of your plan, making rest
part of the plan isn’t just something you earn after finishing your to-do list, but
something you intentionally schedule like any other priority. When life gets
overwhelming, rest is usually the first thing to go, even though it’s the one thing that
actually helps you function. Whether it’s a 20-minute nap, a slow morning, a screen
free night, or just giving yourself permission to do nothing for a bit, incorporating rest
into your routine keeps you from burning out.
Lastly, tools, what are we using to organise everything? When your schedule is
already hectic, the last thing you need is a planning system that takes more work
than the tasks themselves. Pick tools that make your days feel lighter, not busier.
That might be a color-coded Google Calendar, a simple Notes app checklist, or a
low-effort habit tracker where you tap a button and move on with your life. The goal
isn’t to create the perfect system but to create one that’s so easy to use on your
busiest days that you’ll actually stick with it. If it adds stress, ditch it. If it helps you
breathe? Keep it. For me I work better and feel more organised with a physical
planner as it makes me feel like things are set in stone rather than just ‘deletable’,
however any method that works for you is a good one it just has to be something you
know you will remember to loo back on and something that will hold you accountable.
University is messy. Your routine doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to keep you
grounded.