If you listen in on a conversation between two college students, it’s near certain you’ll hear someone talking about how little sleep they got or how they finally got the chance to sleep in. Sleep schedules are almost impossible to maintain in college, but for a week, I made it a priority —in bed by ten, awake by 6, Sunday through Sunday. As someone who usually doesn’t go to bed until 2, then rushes to class at the last possible minute, I thought this was going to be impossible for me. At first, it was, but as the week progressed and my body acclimated itself to my new schedule, it got easier quickly. I thought I had just signed myself up for hell, but by the end of the week, I was thanking myself for it and would totally recommend it. So here’s a breakdown of what happened:
1. I made healthier decisions.
I woke up early, so now I had time to eat breakfast. In fact, I had time to choose a healthy breakfast. That set the tone for my day, so I ended up choosing a healthy lunch. Being healthy made me happy. Eating healthy makes you feel good, guys. Try it. Seriously.
2. I was in a better mood.
Since I didn’t have to rush in the mornings, my day had a more relaxed vibe. I was less stressed, and my interactions with people felt better. I was happier, and paying attention in class was surprisingly easy. Even if something stressful happened, I was able to shake it off and not let it follow me throughout my day.
3. Managing my time got easier.
Since there was a clear beginning and end to my day, I had to orient my free time in such a way that I got everything done that I needed to do. I had to push myself more to not procrastinate, and as I got used to sitting down and getting things done immediately, I found I had more free time than I thought. Usually deadlines felt rushed and stressful, but being proactive about time management gave me more time to play after I had worked.
This experiment started because I realized I overworked myself and something needed to change. It didn’t put any sort of burden on my day once I was able to get used to it, and the domino chain of benefits hasn’t stopped yet. Schedules are an important part of a healthy life, and even changing something as seemingly little as when you go to bed can definitely improve your quality of life.