After a while, life just feels like we are living in a constant loop of repeated days. We wake up, we go to our classes, do homework, and go to bed. Repeat. And in between this routine, we are squeezing other things in our lives to try and make life work, such as working a job or spending time with friends or even doing things you enjoy outside of school. This routine seems like it is the only thing we know how to do. Being stuck in this endless cycle can feel draining and frustrating and even promote us to feel unmotivated in our life. It’s a constant feeling of just barely making everything work in our days, and to somewhat try and break this routine, you feel that you have to sacrifice something. If you want to take a day trip that means you might have to risk having a late submission for your homework. Having a spontaneous get together with friends means you have to stay up late to finish your project that’s due in the morning.
Now that we are living in a Pandemic, this routine seems to be laying heavier on us all. There is less of an outlet for us to escape to when the routine gets too much for our mental health. While being stuck in quarantine*, something I realized was really putting an effort into doing more loose spontaneous things in my daily routine. Although right now that feels a bit impossible to do, I am trying to find little ways to break the routine throughout my days. I feel that a lot of that has to do with time management. Being good at managing your time definitely is difficult, especially when it feels like everyone around you is managing your time, but laying out a bit of a game plan for your day or week helps you feel like you have more control in your life.
And with that control you are able to manage your own time. With that time management, I have been setting up a schedule where I never work or have homework on Sundays, that way I am able to have that day open for anything without feeling like I have to sacrifice something in order to do something that I want to do. Also, finding little things throughout your day that changes the routine: finding a new place to study, waking up earlier to be able to take your time getting ready for the day, listen to a podcast, find things around you to appreciate and take photos. I have discovered that local can be beautiful. You don’t have to travel miles away to get that perfect Instagram photo that is going to blow up your feed, that cup of coffee or tea that you are drinking can be just as interesting. Maybe invite a friend to do homework with you instead of being alone, that way you are both holding each other accountable to get all of your work done!
These are just some suggestions of possibilities that can help you break that continuous loop that we find ourselves living in. Routine can be draining, but we also can build around this and make life a little more spontaneous!
*I told myself to NOT keep referencing the pandemic in my articles, but it just feels impossible to not talk about.