FINDING YOUR DAILY ROUTINE // for those students who have all of 3 contact hours a week.
Why should you have a daily routine? Well, not only does it provide structure, it also: improves productivity and efficiency; helps you sleep better; and manages and/or relieves the symptoms of mental illness!
Okay, that doesnβt exactly sound bad. How do I do it?
- Firstly, establish your wake-up and get-up times.
Itβs recommended that teenagers between 14 and 17 should get somewhere between 7 and 11 hours sleep per night. For young adults (18-25), itβs 6-10. Everyoneβs different, and everyone requires a different amount to function at their best (as opposed to barely functioning with the help of coffee). Generally speaking, the younger you are, the more sleep you need. Youβll need to find out your own personal optimum sleep length through trial and error.
Sleep hygiene is really important for achieving optimum sleep quality - although itβll be hard at first, get up at the same time every day, even if youβre a walking zombie. If you are, youβll find wtf to do to fix it in a sec. Patience, grasshopper.Β
Then, work out when you need to get up. It doesnβt really matter at this point whether youβre a lark or an owl - everyone has obligations and every needs to get up at some point. Even if you donβt, businesses have limited opening hours and relatives and/or friends probably wonβt want to talk at 3am. You need to make sure your waking hours and these normal functioning hours overlap at least a little. If you have a standing obligation - like school or work - make sure you factor in time to have a calm, mindful breakfast; donβt just grab a banana to eat in the car.Β
Then, subtract your optimum sleep time (plus a 30-minute contingency for actually falling asleep) from your wake-up time, and voila! Your bedtime.Β
Example: I want to wake up at 7:30. I know I need 9 hours sleep. So, allowing 30 minutes to fall asleep, Iβll be in bed with the lights off by 10pm.
- Secondly, work out yourΒ βactiveβ hours.
If you spend the majority of your time in self-study, sometimes it can all see a bit overwhelming and you seem to be spending endless late nights doing work amirite? Thereβs a solution to this: treat your work like itβs a job. Aim to be sat down at your desk for x oβclock and aim to leave your desk at y oβclock. Split your day into manageable chunks (I like 90 minutes), giving yourself 10-30 minute breaks in between, as well as a lunch break. Use your breaks to get food or put on laundry or have a flick through Facebook. When your breakβs up, get back to work. Then, when it gets to y oβclock, youβre done. Finito. Put your books away, shut your laptop down, and relax.Β
This is where whether youβre a lark or an owl comes into play. If youβre a lark, get to work within a couple of hours of waking, and relax at night. If youβre an owl, chill out during the morning and get shit done in the afternoon/evening.Β
It may seem like you wonβt have enough time to get all the stuff done that you need to, but trust me. By keeping a routine and committing yourself to only doing assigned tasks during yourΒ βworkingβ day, you will get more done in the same amount of time.Β
Example: I aim to sit down at 9:15 am. After my first task chunk (90 minutes) and a 10 minute break, itβs 10:55. My lunch break starts at 12:30, and I give myself two hours in case I need a nap. Then, I have two more 90 minute chunks, with a 10 minute break in between. Iβm done by half five, Iβve got the whole of the evening to chill the fuck out, andΒ Iβve had six hours of focused work instead of six hours of multitasking, punctuated by Tumblr scrolling.Β
- Thirdly, plan your day.
If youβre observant, youβll have noticed I have an hour and forty five minutes between waking up and doing stuff. This is me-time. I give myself an hour to eat breakfast, read the news, check Instagram and, most importantly, plan my day.Β
Assign yourself the three things that you need to accomplish that day. Donβt make a single thing comprise of multiple parts. 1 thing is not English reading chapters 3-6 + notes; 1 thing is one chapter with notes. Now, it seems counterintuitive to under-plan. But youβll be more productive if you frequently make dents in your to-do list and end up getting more done in the day than you had initially planned.Β
Also, donβt underestimate how long a task will take. Itβs better to overestimate and have leftover time to do smaller, unplanned tasks than feel stressed or rushed when itβs getting to five pm and youβve still got notes for three chapters to make. If youβve still got time left over even when overestimating, plan for some smaller, more menial tasks in there too.Β
Stick to yourΒ βtask chunksβ, adhering to your break whether or not youβve accomplished the chunkβs task. Itβs okay to give a chunk more than one task - sometimes, I like to dedicate a chunk to lots of little bits that need to get done (like making a phone call or sorting out my school bag).Β
- Lastly, get the hell to bed.Β
Waking up at the same time is all very well if youβre maintaining a regular bedtime too, but it isnβt magically going to make tiredness from not getting enough sleep go away!Β
Donβt eat a heavy meal too late at night, and try not to exercise within two hours of falling asleep. Turn off your technology - phones, tablets, computers, TVs - within 90 to 30 minutes of going to bed. I find an hour is the sweet spot for me. Take the opportunity to have a bath, journal, read a book or plan the stuff you need to do the next day. Establishing a night-time routine will help your body recognise when itβs time to wind down.Β
If youβre super duper tired, your bedtime is the thing to adjust. Donβt get up later; go to sleep earlier. I know all the good TV is on after 9pm - but thatβs why OnDemand TV was created. I promise itβll still be there tomorrow.Β
So thatβs the basics of creating a functioning, well-rounded daily routine. It can be adapted for days when you actually have stuff to do (such as attending those precious few lectures), as well as for students whose education isnβt mostly revolved around independent study. Just do fewer/shorter task chunks per day and do them after/before school or university or work, or apply the tips only at the weekend to create a routine for getting stuff done!
Stick to it and youβll be more energetic, more productive, and happier!Β