After starting college in fall of 2022, I quickly realized that life was going to be very different from high school.
My daily routine was completely different from what I did before college, and I felt like I was being pulled in several different directions every day. I also just couldn’t find that balance between all of these different aspects for a long time.Â
When I first started dating my boyfriend in Oct. 2022, it added another thing I had to juggle on top of everything else. It was to the point where I decided I had to figure out how to balance everything. So, here’s a few strategies that I implemented into my life that ended up working for me!
Use sticky notes to keep track of what needs to be done that day.Â
I actually got this trick from one of my roommates, and it has been an absolute lifesaver. I’m a big fan of getting school work done before having fun and spending time with others, otherwise, I’ll feel anxious the whole time. So, at times, I would find myself focusing on my work too much, to the point where I wouldn’t be able to hang out with my friends. By using the sticky note strategy, I can write down and divvy up the work I need to do on a day-to-day basis, and figure out what I need to do before hanging out with my friends and what I can leave for some other time.
Self-care is important.
It took a while for me to fully understand this, but sometimes you need to put yourself first. Before I figured out the routine that worked for me, I would push myself to hang out with my friends or my boyfriend even after a tiring day filled with schoolwork, and at times I just wanted to decompress alone. It felt rude to ask to cancel the hangout so I could relax alone, but I eventually realized that this was totally okay. It’s normal to want to be alone sometimes, and it’s not rude to put your well-being first.Â
Find some time to relax, as well as something to help you do so.
This point relates to my previous one. Carving out some time to do something you like, no matter how busy you get, can really help you become a version of yourself that can handle all the different stressors life throws at you. I picked up reading books again as a pastime, and it’s been a great way for me to decompress at the end of the day! Plus, when I hang out with my friends, meet new people, or have dinner with my boyfriend, the books I’ve recently read serve as a really great topic to have a conversation about!Â
Although this list doesn’t include every aspect that I have implemented into my daily routine to balance all the factors of life, it includes a good chunk. Although these strategies won’t work for everyone, it might be a good start for people who are in the same boat that I was in, back in my first semester of freshman year.