7 Ways
to Make the Most of Your Day
Welcome
back!
Ah
it feels so good to be writing blog posts again. As you know, I ended my series
#HowISurvivedHighSchool and took off the rest of the summer to focus on my
YouTube channel and to take some time off before I started *shudder*
college. College as been an experience
so far, to say the least, but that’s a post for another time. Today I want talk to you about my secrets to
have a good day.
Let me just start off with a little
disclaimer: it doesn’t matter if you follow all these steps or not, whether you
have a good day or not depends ultimately on YOU. You get to dictate your mood and decide how
you’re going to go about your day. These
tips that I’m about to share are merely just to help motivate you and push you
along if you get what I mean.
Tip
#1: Get up early
You’ve probably already clicked off
this post after reading this but just hear me out: waking up early is an
absolute life changer. It’s up to you to
decide what time is right for you to get up (I’d strongly recommend before
8:00.) Whatever works best for you, and
it may take some time for your body to get used to your new routine so try
setting your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier each day until you can successfully
(and by successfully I mean reluctantly rolling out of bed after you’ve already
thought about going back to sleep at least 3 times.) This has seriously changed my life and sets
the tone for the day. As a bonus, if you
get up early enough you can watch the sunrise which is hands down my favorite
part of my day.
Tip
#2: Make a plan
This step is super important in the
formula to having a good day. Plan,
plan, plan. I’ve developed a pretty good system for planning since I’ve started
college. I want to do a more in-depth
video on how I stay organized on my YouTube channel sometime, but basically, I
have a daily to-do list and a weekly/monthly planner. I make out a to-do list each day (I like to
do it the night before) of things I want to get done each day and then in my
planner I keep my appointments, class schedule, work schedule, and assignment
deadlines for school. I’ve found this
system works well for me, but it’s all about finding one that works for you and
your lifestyle. However you choose do
it, make a plan for each day to keep yourself on track. Having a game plan on how you’re going to
tackle all your projects eliminates stress and you won’t be so overwhelmed.
Tip
#3: Make Every Second Count
If you didn’t know how to multi-task
before, you’re going to need to learn now.
This has been my number one motto ever since I started college. You can’t make the 24 hours in a day any
longer or shorter, but you can learn how to make the most of the time you
have. For an example, I do my reading
assignments while I walk on the treadmill at the gym. That may seem slightly extreme, but it’s
about maximizing your use of time. Do
you spend 40 minutes driving to school/work every day? Record your notes/lecture and listen to them
while you drive. You just freed up the
time it would take you to study separately and that time is now available for
another task. Make your grocery list
while you wait for your laundry to be done in the washing machine. Study during your lunch break. Time management is the key here.
Tip
#4: Take Breaks
Have you ever spent four hours on
something and then end up too tired to do anything else afterwards? Yeah, me too.
This is why it’s important to take breaks every once and awhile to relax
and clear your head. For an example, you
might spend 45 minutes working on something and then take a 10-minute
break. I do this when I study. It’s good for your mind/body to rest for
short periods of time before continuing with the task. It can also be helpful to switch up tasks
that require a long amount of time to complete.
Switch over to something else and pick back up on that project
later. The point is, we get tired very
fast if we do the same thing for too long.
By taking breaks and switching tasks, it helps with focus and gives you
some time to step away from the task and recharge.
Tip
#5: Do Not Procrastinate
I repeat: if you want to make the most
of your day, DO. NOT. PROCRASTINATE.
This is the weakness of probably every single human being, including
myself. The key to not procrastinating
is to get the task over with as soon as possible, leaving little to no time for
your brain to think about it and try to talk you out of it. A big part of avoiding procrastination is to
eliminate distractions. Distractions are
people, objects, and noises that prohibit you from accomplishing your
task. When I’m studying or trying to get
something done, I usually sit in my room alone and with my phone out of
reach. That way I’m not tempted to check
it and get distracted from what I’m working on.
Find the right space to work and make sure all distractions are
limited.
Tip
#6: Find Balance
I’ve recently discovered this is the
ultimate trick to having a happy, healthy life (well, one of the tricks.) Balance is key. You will get nowhere if you put all your time
and energy into one aspect of your life (school, work, family, friends.) Those may seem like a lot of things to balance
but finding that balance is super important in your everyday life. Devote certain times to the different areas
of your life. This is where planning
comes in. Plan out the time you can
spend on school or at work and also make sure to block out time to spend with
family and friends. I know your social
life might seem like the least important part of your life, but trust me, if
you isolate yourself you will not exceed at anything else. I learned that lesson the hard way. Find the right balance in your life.
Tip
#7: Have A Daily Cut-off Time
What is a cut-off time, you might ask? A cut-off time is the time when your school,
work, and social part of the day ends. My
cut-off time is 10:00. After that, I
don’t do anything school, work, or socially related. This is “your time.” I would recommend setting this time about an
hour before you plan to go to bed. This
is when you are free to binge any show you want, read your favorite book, and
anything else that YOU want to do. Have
you gotten the hint that the keyword here is YOU? You need to devote time that
is only for you. It’s also a time for
your brain to unwind from the day as you prepare to sleep. I believe having this time is an essential
part of having a successful day and sets the mood for having a successful next
day.
Those are my tips for how to make the most of your day. I hope this leaves you feeling motivated and maybe encouraged you to try incorporating some of these strategies into your daily life. If you have some of your own, drop them in the comments below. I will talk to you guys in my next post!
Those are my tips for how to make the most of your day. I hope this leaves you feeling motivated and maybe encouraged you to try incorporating some of these strategies into your daily life. If you have some of your own, drop them in the comments below. I will talk to you guys in my next post!
