Getting Into A Routine

As a first year student, I’ve found it hard to get into a routine that I can stick to consistently. In high school, my routine was mostly decided for me. Wake up at 7:00, go to school from 8:00-3:00, activities and homework until dinner, dinner, more homework and then sleep.

Now, each day is different. Some days I have class at 8:30. Other days my classes don’t start until 10:00, which gives me an extra hour and a half to sleep in! I can also eat and study where and when I want to!

But as great as it is to have this flexibility, it’s been hard to motivate myself to study when I have so much ‘free time.’

The solution? A routine.

Now some of you may be wondering why you would willingly impose rules on yourself when you’ve just begun to enjoy the freedom of university. I get it. But I have found that having even a few consistencies in my day helps enormously with my productivity.

Things like waking up and going to bed at the same time each day forces me to get enough sleep, as well as get things done in the morning before class. I also try to eat my meals at roughly the same time each day, so that I can have a dedicated time away from studying to re-energize.

There’s a lot more to be said about developing a good routine, but the most important is to start somewhere. Choose one thing that is a normal part of your day, like eating lunch, and then pick a time and the days of the week you can do it. Now try to stick to this, and work the rest of your schedule around it.

You’ll not only feel better when you’ve been able to stick to your plan, but you’ll find that you actually feel more motivated to get things done before your scheduled run or meal or study session. And isn’t motivation what we’re often in desperate need of anyways?

P.S. For more tips on how to make a routine for exercise, see Ali’s post.