As the second semester starts, it is important to create patterns that will support us throughout. James Clear describes the importance of implementing an effective routine in day-to-day life in his book Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. He states that although “Goals are good for setting a direction, […] systems are best for making progress.” I find this approach valuable when reflecting on this past semester: thinking about what made it good and what was challenging and how that could affect the upcoming couple of months. The question remains: how can we reinforce good and healthy habits and establish new ones that will help overcome possible challenges?
Here are a few of my favorite habits that you might find helpful going into the Candlemas Semester:
Focus on taking ‘Conscious Breaks’. Although the expression might sound odd, it is important keep in mind and consciously rest. Identifying what helps you relax and recharge is crucial to creating a balanced routine. Have you ever felt that you just spent time on a specific action and somehow you haven’t done anything productive, but you haven’t rested either? That’s the feeling that ‘conscious breaks’ aim to eliminate. Try to write down things that bring you peace, and help you recharge and rest. It can be anything ranging from going on a run, listening to music, or even scrolling social media. Personally, I find longer walks at places like West Sands very relaxing. Anything that makes you feel happy and calm works. This will help you incorporate effective breaks into your routine and render you more productive in the long run. During stressful times, I find that having reliable and effective ways to relax is a mechanism that I can comfortably fall back on.
Create a space you love. Whether it’s a coffee shop that you find particularly cozy, your room, or the library, make sure to find spaces that make you feel safe and good. If you don’t like your surroundings or feel uncomfortable, it will hinder your ability to focus on the task at hand and most likely put you in a bad mood. Working comes a lot easier when you do it in a place you like and that you find peaceful. I put pictures, postcards, and letters that bring up good memories on my walls in order to make my room feel more “homey.” Turn your space into something that you are excited to be “in” or “around” every day – it will make everything more enjoyable.
Improve your time management. This one comes up very often, but for a good reason. Good time management and organisation skills will be incredibly useful during university and in the future. Going into the new semester with a goal to stay organised is a good idea as it will help you focus, reduce procrastination and hopefully limit stress related to upcoming assignments. Some online tools that I find helpful include Notion: a site that allows you to keep track of your assignments, create well-organised and easy-to-access notes, and work on any projects you might have. Another app that can be a great resource and help you stay focused is called Forest: it’s a timer you can use when you need to focus for a set period of time. Once you turn it on it plants a seed which turns into a tree while you focus. Forest has a partnership with a tree-planting organisation and when you spend virtual coins that you gain in the app it donates and helps plant actual trees. So, if you are passionate about the environment or just want an app with a really cute interface this might be a good option.
Sleep. This one is pretty straightforward: creating a good sleep schedule is probably one of the most important things you can prioritise in life, let alone for Candlemas Semester. Even though work sometimes gets in the way, setting a specific number of hours of sleep you need to function at your best can be very helpful. Whether you hit those hours after submitting an assignment or before is not as relevant. The most important thing is to figure out what makes you feel best and is healthy for your body and mind. The beginning of the semester, while things are still relatively slow, is as good a time as any to fix your sleep schedule. Once deadlines come along it will be much harder to prioritise sleep, which is why it’s important to have a proven habit that you can rely on to keep yourself as healthy and rested as possible.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It can sometimes be daunting to admit that you need some support. Whether it is for your mental health or academics, there is a wide range of resources that you can use. If none of the existing resources seem to work for you, you can always see whether there are some that you could create. For example, if you start falling behind in a class, try forming a study group, ask someone from your tutorial for help, or go to office hours. Don’t ever wait until things get really bad to reach out; tackle the problem at its core.
Be kind: to yourself and others. Kindness is, arguably, one of the most important things in life. You never know what someone is going through and being kind can be so incredibly important. It’s a reminder that although things can get rough and overwhelming, there is a “good” present all around us. Being kind will pay off in the end. You might make someone’s day or they can make yours. Whether it’s getting your friend coffee when they are tired or holding the door open for someone, small acts of kindness never hurt and can give you a newfound sense of purpose.