I believe in laying out your day and week as a motivation tool and a way to feel like you have your sh*t together. Disclaimer that I do not ever get all these things done each day or even each week. I like to have lots of available things to fill my time, and most of these have to get done at some point anyway, so it’s best to remind yourself of them frequently so they get done when needed.
These lists fit my class schedule, but I know some people have a busy M/W/F instead of T/Th. Swap these around to get your own sh*t done, and have a sexy weekend because of it.
Monday:
8:00am: Wake up, stretch, check email (but don’t reply to anything yet unless it’s urgent)
8:30am: Make a breakfast with lots of protein –we have to start the week off right! I like to have eggs, yogurt, some fruit and toast.
9:00am: Clean your kitchen, because who can conquer the day with a messy counter?
9:30-10:30am: Do laundry, put things away from the weekend, and take out all the trash and recycling.
11:00am: Choose at least one thing to deep clean (examples: run self-clean on your oven, run vinegar in your washer, scrub your bathtub, wash your shower curtain and bath mats, take cushions off your couch and vacuum all the crumbs, clean windows, wash and clean your car).
11:30am: Check your email and respond to everyone, send any emails or call anyone you’ve been avoiding (examples: disputing a bill, calling your wifi company, emailing a professor about a grade or project)
12:00pm: Make your planner for the week with all the events you have planned, and solidify any maybe plans during this time.
12:15pm: Lunch! Eat something light, yummy, and easy. I suggest the Emily Mariko rice bowl if you haven’t tried it yet (read my review!)
1:00pm: Address your homework situation, and get that done now
3:00pm: Consult any group projects for the week and set up a meeting time, or just check in on everyone. Be *that* group member.
4:00pm: Make a general grocery list for later in the week. See what’s missing, what you’re about to run out of, and add weekly items like bread, milk, produce, etc.
5:00pm: Consult your roommates about the dinner plan, are you cooking? Ordering in? Going out?
6:00pm (or whenever you’re home for the day): Shower, moisturize, get into comfy clothes and settle in for the night. Finish any outstanding homework, emails, or other tasks you missed earlier in the day. Reflect on how you felt throughout the day, what you’re looking forward to in the upcoming week and allow yourself time to relax.
Before bed: Do your full skincare routine today, because if it happens no other time, at least it did Monday. Fold the laundry you started and forgot about, and watch a TV show with your roomies. My house is currently watching “How to Get Away With Murder,” and I highly suggest it if you missed out in 2016 like me. Try to get to bed early on Mondays to set yourself up for a good week.
Tuesday:
8:00am: Wake up, stretch, check email but don’t reply to anything yet unless it’s urgent.
8:30am: Make a yummy breakfast, my Tuesdays are really busy so I like to have a little moment to myself in the morning with my favorite breakfast. I like to make frozen waffles or pancakes and some eggs.
9:00am: Clean your kitchen
10:00am: Get dressed and put on a cute outfit. Look good, feel good, right?
10:30am: Choose something smaller to clean or organize (examples: wiping off all tables, washing the tablecloth, washing everyone’s towels, wipe out drawers in the fridge, organize your tea collection, clean out your backpack, wipe all door knobs with lysol).
11:00am: Pack yourself up for the day, including a snack in your bag.
11:15am: Do any smaller assignment you want to avoid. Treat your Wednesday self to a bit less work, you deserves it.
12:00pm: Eat a bigger lunch, you’re busy today and need fuel to get you through.
12:30pm: Rest a bit before having to leave the house. If you aren’t a napper you can read, journal or have some phone time.
1:45pm: Start your walk to class because you live a 30-minute walk away from campus. Ugh. At least I get my steps in.
In class until 5:10pm
5:30pm: Find some dinner or eat your snack because your brain just worked so hard in classes. After dinner, take a break and call a friend, go on social media or just veg out.
7:00pm: Start your homework for the night, work with a friend to motivate yourself since it’s so late in the day.
9:00pm: Shower, get in comfy clothes and settle in. Wash any dishes you left throughout the day, and pick up all the clothes on your floor.
10:00pm: Relax with your roommates, watch the show you’re working your way through, and reflect on your day with them.
Bedtime: Moisturize, put some oil in your hair and relax before drifting off to sleep. Put a podcast on if you take a long time to get to sleep.
Wednesday:
8:00am: Wake up, stretch, check email but don’t reply to anything yet unless it’s urgent.
8:30am: Make a simple breakfast. It’s hump day, and you need to keep pushing through. I suggest either a frozen breakfast burrito or sandwich or just eggs and toast.
9:00am: Clean your kitchen.
9:30am: Start your day off strong and punch out your homework. You want to relax tonight, so it’s time to work in the A.M.
11:30am: Make yourself a fueling snack to finish up your homework for the day. Fruit and granola, some chicken nuggets, or a salad with a piece of toast are great options!
12:00pm: Finish up your homework, and work ahead if you are feeling extra productive. Treat yourself to something sweet after this, you did that!
1:00pm: Make some plans for the night. Maybe you have a movie night in, maybe you grab a cocktail out after dinner. Have some fun tonight, you finished all your work, after all.
1:30pm: Pick up after yourself from yesterday. You had a busy day, and there are probably still clothes on the floor and homework out on the table. Give yourself a mini house refresh and wipe your counters, make a simmer pot or fold all the blankets on the couch.
2:30pm: Make yourself a more hardy lunch, that snack wasn’t enough to keep you going. Leftover pasta is my go-to.
In class until 5:45
5:45pm: Relax after class for a bit.
6:30pm: Refresh your planner for the week, now you have more plans, maybe a study date, add those in!
7:00pm: Dinner time!
8:00pm: It’s probably time for your plans, go have fun!
Bedtime: Moisturize and crawl into bed a bit too late.
Thursday:
8:00am: Wake up, stretch, check email but don’t reply to anything yet unless it’s urgent.
8:30am: Make a simple breakfast again.
9:00am: Clean your kitchen
In class until 11:50
12:00pm: Lunch time! Make yourself something yummy, and relax before your next classes
In class until 5:10
5:30pm: Get home and take some time for yourself, eat a snack if you’re getting hungry.
6:00pm: Unpack your backpack, come to peace with the amount of work you have and get that done.
7:30pm: Dinner time! I have my roommates cook on Thursday, so I do work until it’s time to eat.
8:30pm: Clean the kitchen.
Bedtime: Do your full skincare routine, you had a hard day and your skin deserves it. Listen to a podcast to help you calm down after your long day.
Friday:
9:00am: Wake up, stretch, check email but don’t reply to anything yet unless it’s urgent.
9:30am: Make a yummy breakfast again. Today will be a good day, so let’s make it extra special.
10:00am: Clean your kitchen.
10:30am: Relax until it’s time for class.
In class until 12:45
1:30pm: Make yourself lunch, and don’t be afraid to spend a little more time here than usual, you’re done with classes for the day and the week.
2:30pm: Clean the kitchen and choose something else from the lighter cleaning list to do. Even though it’s Friday, we want to have a clean house during the weekend.
3:30pm: Finish up all your homework for the day and do anything due Saturday or early Sunday. Curse those professors under your breath as you do this for cathartic release.
5:00pm: It’s time to plan your weekend. Do you want to camp before it gets too cold? Are you doing a weekend in? Will you go on a date? Are you going out all weekend and doing a Sunday brunch? Get those plans together, because once the weekend has started, without them you are sleeping in until 11 a.m..
7:00pm: Dinner time! After dinner, clean up and get ready for whatever plans await you. Happy week!
Throughout the week, getting a lot of the non-school tasks done can help you feel better about getting things done, as working in a clean space is less distracting than a messy one. Trying to pick up a little bit each day helps me to not feel so overwhelmed when the Sunday Scaries come. As a guideline outside the daily schedules, if they don’t fit with your calendar, you want to go to bed with no dishes in the sink, and do one extra cleaning item throughout the day. This way, you aren’t stuck with laundry, groceries, dirty bathrooms, and organizing every Sunday.