Every year, spring quarter is my most awaited time of the year. I love the spring weather in Davis, all the festivities, and my most memorable moments with my friends in the spring. However, the start of a new quarter always tends to be a bit stressful for me because I have to reorganize my schedule and commit to a new routine. I would consider myself to be a good time manager but every quarter is always a trial and error process to work out my perfect schedule. Regardless, these are things I do before the start of every quarter to reset and get prepared.
(1) Deep Clean My Apartment
Finals week always causes my apartment and room to look like a disaster. I’m always on the move during finals and never seem to find the time to clean up after myself. Therefore, after every finals week, I dedicate a whole day to deep cleaning my room and all the common spaces. Having a clean living space is something super important to me because it helps reduce my anxiety and stress and just helps me get through the day. Whenever my room is clean and organized I feel happier, more productive, and my mental state is more positive.
(2) Google Calendar
Google Calendar has become my best friend in college. My schedule is always overflowing with activities due to being a full-time student, working an internship, being involved in various extracurricular activities, and always having social events. Before the start of every quarter, I transfer my class schedule from Schedule Builder onto Google Calendar. Then I schedule all my weekly work meetings, club meetings, and study times. Once my schedule has been put into Google Calendar, I decide the times I want to go to the gym every day. I also like scheduling when I’m going to wake up and all my meals. Having a broad picture of how I want my day to go makes it more likely for me to complete all my tasks and stay productive.
(3) Review Syllabi
The Sunday before my classes start, I dedicate time to sit down and read through the syllabi for all my classes. While reading the syllabi, I’ll put midterm dates and project dates into my Google Calendar. For my weekly homework assignments, I’ll write the due dates into my planner. I also enter all my homework assignments into Google Sheets and organize them by the due date. I realized that writing down all my due dates beforehand keeps me organized and ensures I don’t forget to do any of my homework. It also helps me space out my assignments so I rarely find myself cramming.
(4) Self Care
During the quarter, I tend to get extremely busy and forget to take time for myself. For the start of spring quarter specifically, I decided to redecorate my room. Winter quarter was a rough time for me so I wanted to redecorate my space to feel more comfortable and at home. I put up new disposable pictures from winter quarter, posters of my favorite music artists, and affirmations from the We’re Not Really Strangers game. I’ve also been journaling and manifesting. In my journal, I set goals I hope to accomplish before spring quarter ends.
Since I will be transferring in the fall to another university, spring quarter will officially be my last quarter at UC Davis. I have high hopes and expectations for my spring quarter and am committed to making it a memorable experience with my friends. I hope everyone had a fun spring break and is as excited for winter quarter as I am.