While I have many complaints about the quarter system (midterms always seem to sneak up on me), one thing that I see as an advantage is that every 11 weeks (counting finals week), we quarter students get a blank slate to become that person you’ve always wanted to be.
The following habits can help you leave those bad habits behind:
1. Buy a planner (and actually use it)
Image via The Wire Cutter
If there’s one thing I buy at the start of every year, it’s a planner. And then I immediately stop using them. I would show you all the stack of old unused planners that live in my desk if I wasn’t so ashamed. Learn from my mistakes because when you wake up at 2 am remembering that essay due in 8 hours, you’re going to wish you had a planner to rely on.
2. Meal Plan
Image via Smile Sandwich
Yes, Woodstock’s sounds great. You can tempt me with Freebirds any day of the week, but my wallet and body will not appreciate it. The great thing about meal planning and prepping is that it takes the guesswork out of dinnertime. If you’re like me and are sick of eating spaghetti for the 3rd time in a row (SICK. OF. IT.), then get a group of friends together, assign each of them a different dish, and BOOM, a whole week of different meals with a fraction of the effort.
3. Spending Log
Image via Pinterest
Some of us need our vanilla almond milk latte in the mornings, and keeping a spending log doesn’t mean I have to deny myself that joy, just that I have to budget it and cut out the non-essential spending that breaks my bank account.
4. Give Yourself a Break!
Image via Philadelphia
Work, school, internships, volunteering. We all want to do it all, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we’re only human and we need to give ourselves rest. So read a book, or take a relaxing bath, or knit a sweater, or go for a run, do whatever your mind needs to relax and you’ll see that your rested self will give a better overall effort in comparison to your tired self.