A Daily Study Routine
The other day I had a little heart to heart with myself. I need to get my life back on track. This blog is slowly falling off my radar, my grades aren’t up to the standards that I set for myself, and although I love my co-workers and friends, I’m spending way too much time socializing. After all, I’m paying quite a bit of money to go to school and get a degree, and it’s time to start making school more of a priority again. I’m embracing my inner freshman year Abigail and getting back into solid study habits.
There’s something to be said about having structure in my life. I function better, I’m more organized, and I’m more productive. In order to make it through the semester and still get those A’s and B’s I’m setting out to get, here’s the study routine that I’ve created for myself.
First off, I’m taking my own advice, and treating school as a 9-5 job. Not only is it a key way for me to stay focused, I know that if I make it until 5 o’clock, I can watch an episode of New Girl or the Casey Neistat vlog for the day.
bright & early 7 AM
There’s no more of this waking up at different times every day because I am SO unproductive living like that. Now my day starts right at 7 AM. I get up, wash my face and brush my teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, and hit the books.
Okay so maybe I don’t hit the books right away, but I at least get my life in order enough to hit the books by 9 AM. I may check e-mails, reply to texts, schedule some tweets for the day, and most importantly, I create a daily to-do list. My to-do list is only for that day, giving me a reasonable amount of things to focus on.
An example of one of my daily lists would be:
- finish one chapter of Econ notes
- get 240 project to produce valid output
- do 5 questions of math homework
- type up business writing drill
A defined to-do list seems much more manageable than something that says: do 240 homework, math homework, Econ notes.
8:30 AM
If I know I have most of the morning free, I’ll make sure I’m out of the residence hall by 8:30 AM or 9 AM and head to the library or a coffee shop on campus. Working in a space that isn’t my room keeps me super focused and productive. I’ll work there until I have to head to class.
11 AM
It’s gym time! I don’t hit the gym every day at 11 AM, sometimes it’s 9:30, but I’m at the gym almost every day. The gym gives me time to take a break from school, the blog, my job, and life and I’m just able to focus on myself.
I blast my music, lift some heavy stuff, and do my 30 minutes of cardio.
The gym is one way I keep my mental health in check. After letting my mental health fall my freshman year, I always make sure to put myself first and school second. Always. I opened up all about how the gym has changed me in my last post A Fitness Journey Never Ends.
Noon to Five
These five hours are my “get stuff done” time. I usually have a class or two, and then, again, go somewhere to do homework, blog work, etc. I cannot go back to my room because I will sit down, I will eat food, and I will take a nap. It’s happened one too many times.
Some of my favorite study spots on campus are:
- Outside a coffee shop (if weather permits)
- The student union
- The library (my new favorite)
avoiding social distractions
I have this problem where I’ll go down to hang at the front desk, think I’ll accomplish something, end up talking to residents and my other staff members, and as soon as I know it, three hours have gone by and I’ve accomplished nothing.
And I’m the one stupid enough to think that every time I go to hang out at desk, I’ll actually be productive that time around. I honestly laugh at myself about it.
In order for me to get the grades I want, I have to break this habit. So, I only allow myself to hang out a desk for four extra hours every week. I’m still working on trying to implement this, so wish me luck!
10 PM time for bed
10 PM is the start of lit times at desk (don’t ask me what that means. It’s an inside joke between our staff, and honestly I really don’t understand the meaning) which is no place for a grandma-in-an-19-year-old’s-body like myself. I’m usually showered, in bed with a cup of chamomile tea, and enjoying a nice comedy special or documentary on Netflix.
I hope to be asleep by 10:30 or 11-ish, giving me plenty of sleep and recharging me for the next day!
Well, that’s about it for my daily routine. Of course it changes depending on the day, my class schedule, and other meetings I may have for that day. But all in all, it stays about the same.
Remember, I’m just a person too. My life gets hectic, I’m not perfect, and things don’t get done the way they probably should. It’s okay to fall off track sometimes, but the most important part is for you to realize that something is wrong and you need to do something to fix it.
What is your study routine like? Or do you just do whatever whenever and hope stuff gets done?
~abigail gray
