Life is hard. It can get extremely stressful and messy and leave you constantly doing work, with no break in sight. As a college student, I’ve had my fair share of weeks from absolute hell. They’re the worst, but without those crazy stressful days or weeks, we wouldn’t appreciate the good ones. As I’ve gotten older and added more onto my plate like internships, student orgs, etc, I’ve had to adapt a more organized and balanced way to approach it all. I know so many students, and even full-grown adults, who struggle with this concept, however, it only takes a step in the right direction to get you started on a path of balance and success.
First things first, I know you’ve probably heard it a million times but I’ll say it again, GET A PLANNER! Please for the love of everything good in life purchase a planner. There are so many out there, I guarantee you’ll find one you like. I usually prefer physical planners rather than the online planners because it gives me satisfaction to cross off things for the day. And they’re just so pretty! A planner will make it very clear what you have to do for the day. It’s a game plan so you don’t get lost or distracted with the mental list you have in your head. And when you complete something, cross it off! I promise it feels really good! A planner doesn’t just have to be for assignment either. Put your work schedule in there or add in events or date nights. Looking at the week ahead, you’ll be able to see when you have time for different things and then you can plan accordingly. It’ll make you more relaxed and lead you to a less stressful lifestyle.
Next, is creating a goals sheet. I think goals are super important for everyday life. When planning out my month, I will always write out my goals for that given month. Then when I find myself having some free time with nothing to do, I’ll turn to my goals sheet for something productive. These goals don’t have to be anything extravagant either. Life is crazy so “Get a haircut” can be one goal or “call mom once a week”. These goals should be something that will better you, make you feel good, and things you might’ve been putting off. They can range from errands to hobbies, it truly is up to you. Then at the end of the month, you can see all the things you’ve accomplished in the last month that make you a better you! It’s really gratifying to see that and motivates you to make another one for the coming month.
Another quick tip is to hang that goals sheet up! Seeing it hung up and coming into contact with it multiple times will urge you to start completing those tasks! The same thing goes for daily affirmations or study material. Hang things up in your room so you come in contact with them more often and remember them throughout the day! Trust me, it helps!
We live in a society that worships the grind time lifestyle. Apparently, if you’re not working your butt off in your early 20’s you’re going to fail in life. This is not true!!! It’s ok to take breaks! It’s actually really important for your mental and physical well being. I recommend setting aside a specific day or a couple of hours of a day that is your designated mental health “Me” time, where you can relax and not worry about school, life, friends, work, or anything else that has been worrying you. I would recommend that this becomes a systematic routine in your life. Try your hardest to never schedule anything during that time. Set aside that time to be with yourself, read, meditate, go for a walk, or do anything you really like to do! This’ll allow you to unwind, reflect, and be one with yourself. This time of peace will allow you to decompress and be more focused and determined when you get back to your goals and tasks.
I know it’s hard and trust me, I’m not perfect either, nobody is. But, I think that as long as you try to better yourself at least a little bit every day, that means something. Oftentimes, people overwhelm themselves with an abundance of work. That might be because they procrastinated on it or simply didn’t know they had something due. However, these tips will help you avoid that at all costs and make you a happier and more at peace human being.