The Transition
The transition from a school student to a college fresher is immaculate. You instantly start behaving differently, you dress a little quirkier, you have a whole new set of friends, and in fact, a whole new life, right? All the things your parents and others said you could do later, once you get into college can be ticked off that bucket list now. So much to do in such little time.
While the college life in itself is a whole new experience and every day an adventure, no one really tells us how to make the best of it. Looking back at my “fresher” days, I remember how excited I was about literally everything in life. From college fests, events, assignments, internships, Canteen Food, everything. I wanted to experience it all to the fullest. Unfortunately, even before I knew it, I was engulfed by the huge heap of assignments and deadlines while trying to catch up on my favorite TV show, keeping up with my friends and trying to stay sane. Relatable? Keep reading to know how you can make the best of this experience.
The “Academic-Life” Balance
While they say “You will enjoy your college life” they also conveniently leave the “you’ll-drown-in hectic-timelines-the-numerous-assignments-presentations-exams-etc” part of it all. From hanging out with your friends almost every day, you go to rarely meeting them after college as you have to complete those pending assignments. While all of this is happening, one fine day you suddenly realize how much you actually are missing out on. In between all of this you neglect your health, sleep pattern is messed up, and you hardly ever have some “me” time. Which to be honest, is important.
Among the plethora of things I wish I’d known as a fresher or even as a college student, if I had to pick one, I’d pick the importance of having a routine. While this sounds mundane and something you can “deal with” when it happens and/or something you think is not that important, trust me, it is imperative. It took me almost a year after leaving college to realize and understand the importance of having a routine and how that could have reduced the anxiety I had throughout those years. Sure, you might argue saying the term routine in itself sounds “robotic,” however, on the contrary, it helps you step back and take a fresh breath of air more often, which is a win, to begin with. A routine also helps you manage your time and chores accordingly, thereby making it a good academic-life balance. It basically helps you have “a life.”
Why it is important
Why is following a routine important you may ask.
Routine basically helps you manage time and tasks better. When you manage your time, you get more chores done, you focus on the activity better, your anxiety is manageable, and you get to focus on yourself for a change thereby making you feel healthier and happier.
Healthy You Happy You
Following a routine has its own health benefits. The better you plan and stick to your routine, you focus on eating better, you catch up on your sleep, you set your priorities and tend to procrastinate lesser. Proper rest has a direct impact on the quality of work you do. The clearer your mind is and the better you are rested will affect how well you think, how much you get done and how you function through the day.
How to find your routine
Not everyone can follow the same routine, having said that, you can, however, take inspiration from sample routine patterns online and customize it according to your need and lifestyle. As and when you complete tasks the sense of accomplishment will further boost your confidence and drive you to do better. The better you plan your day, the better you manage things and thereby accomplish more than what you would if you did not follow a routine. This also helps in avoiding any unforeseen circumstance that could impact your productivity.
Keeping in mind the current situation where nothing is certain, a routine undoubtedly helps keep you sane. Looking at how the year 2020 commenced and how all our plans went to a toss, most of us realized we did not accomplish much while we had the time on our hands. I understand a number of people had a tough time in 2020, however, I look at it differently. We have the time and the resources to get things done, learn new skills, try something you always wanted to, pick up a new hobby etc. All of this is possible only if there is a routine in place, or else everything goes haywire. Just remember to follow a simple routine, you do not want to overburden yourself and put too much on your plate.
Customize your routine to compliment your lifestyle
A decent pattern that helps you cover all the necessary areas of work/study is good enough. Allow me to share a sample of what I am talking about.
- Mandatory tasks- Narrow down your mandatory tasks - your sleeping hours, meals, breaks, chores, academics, work, hobbies, etc.
- Sub-categories - Set sub-categories for the said tasks and allocate time for the same.
- Set small goals - Example, will finish chapter 2-5 today and 6-8 tomorrow.
- Consistency is your best friend - Set a specific time and duration for each task and follow the same time pattern
- Be prepared - if you have everything prepared and ready to start, you will not procrastinate.
- Track your progress - how much was expected to complete, what is done, what is pending, etc.
- Reward yourself - will watch one episode of friends once chapter 2-5 is complete.
Conclusion
I know this sounds overwhelming, however, once you set a routine and follow the pattern in no time you will notice the positive change in the way you work and get things done. You will have to create a couple of routine patterns before you are comfortable with that one which compliments your working and lifestyle. Personally, I still have to plan better to create a routine that suits my lifestyle, however, I am glad at least I am aware of the importance of planning my day, week or even my months (just a tad F.R.I.E.N.D.S reference) in advance. Having a routine helps me explore other interests now, something I picked up along the way and new things I’ve always wanted to experiment with. This way I get some “me” time and some “family” time as well. Which is a double win.
What do you think?