How you are *actually* going to lock in this academic year.

Because unfortunately, our ages are starting to look a little too serious...

My qualifications.

I got into a top 10 UK university for life sciences despite being incredibly unwell, unmotivated, and having around 55% attendance. Having these habits is what prevented me from straight-up failing.

Wake up early.

Yeah, I know, room-temperature advice. Let me explain though: this isn't because waking up early is "more productive" or whatever. It's because rushing to get ready every morning, since you only gave yourself an hour to get everything done, cannot be good for you. If you want to feel more refreshed, give yourself an hour or two to relax and take things slow; watch an episode of a show you like or a YouTube video. Having an hour-long bath in the morning is genuinely therapeutic, too.

It also helps prevent that feeling of dread you get on a Sunday night when you realise you have to wake up early the next day, which leads you to procrastinate sleeping and wake up feeling like death. People who wake up later are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. In my opinion, this is likely due to a rise in stress from the morning rush and not having time to eat well or exercise in the morning.

Have a morning ritual.

Eat well.

Unfortunately, you need energy in the morning to be able to think, and no, caffeine does not give you energy, it just makes you not feel tired (and yes, there is a difference). Eating well has two main benefits: first, it helps maintain your immune system, and second, it helps you feel more energised and focused.

When I say eat well, I don't mean social media 'eat well'; I mean an actual balanced diet. Sometimes you're just not in the mood for (or can't actually afford) eating extremely nutritious, calculated meals every single day. Sometimes you just have to go with whatever's easiest, and that's fine!

Instead of making every meal perfect, just add reasonable portions of frozen vegetables or fruit, and keep an eye on what you're eating too much of. Some vegetables, like red cabbage, can last months in the fridge and are cheap, so it's worth considering adding some of those into your diet.

The main reason I'm focusing on adding things to your diet more than removing them is because vitamin deficiencies make it a lot harder to think than eating a little too much sugar does.

Also, during the day, especially while at school, college, or university, drinking sports drinks, coconut water, milk-based drinks, and fruit juices are all great for adding electrolytes to your diet. Don't waste your money on electrolyte packets, because most of them are primarily sodium; at that point, you may as well just grab some free salt packets when you buy food and add them to your water. Being low on electrolytes can make you feel unwell and unmotivated.

Exercise.

Okay, I know this is looking boring now, but even just exercising for 5-10 minutes in the morning can give you a boost of energy! Embarrassingly, the only reason I discovered how effective exercise can be on cognitive ability and reaction times is because I noticed I would do so much better on Hatsune Miku: Project Diva after exercising LMAO. There are a ton of silent YouTube routines, many of which are beginner-friendly, disability-friendly, and can even be done in bed.

Surround yourself with the right people.

As harsh as this sounds, if you surround yourself with people who don't care about grades and would rather spend all day gossiping, you will find yourself doing worse academically. Try to befriend people who are also ambitious! That doesn't mean you have to drop your other friends, but make sure that you're not allowing them to influence you into skipping study time or staying up late when you have a 9 a.m. exam the next day. If they start peer-pressuring you over it, drop them. (I have unfortunately befriended people like this in the past... never again...)

Manage your algorithm.

I'm not going to tell you to delete TikTok because, frankly, it's pointless. TikTok can also be a great tool if you use it right. 

Make a new account to search for, bookmark, and like things that make you feel motivated and positive. Basically, be intentional with what you interact with. Whether we like it or not, social media has a huge effect on our mood. Do not interact with anything that makes you feel bad. This will tune your algorithm to show you motivational content.

If you find this difficult to maintain, keep two accounts: your main account, which you just use when you want to doomscroll and not think, and your alt account, which is reserved strictly for positive content.

Plan your breaks.

If you have long breaks, don't fall into the trap of doomscrolling. Block out time for eating, walking (this is essential after sitting for so long), studying, spending time with friends, and doing something to help you relax.

Give yourself time off.

Sometimes you really just need a break, and that's fine! But if you're going to take a day off, it needs to be planned. As mentioned previously, I missed about half of my lectures last year, so I am very familiar with what makes a good day off versus a wasted day off.

How you should spend your day depends on why you're taking time off.

If you're ill:

You need to focus on recovery, eating well, and ideally avoiding the doomscrolling trap... though if you're really unwell, you gotta do what you gotta do. Try watching YouTube or a TV show first.

Don't study unless it's for genuine enjoyment, or you risk being unwell for longer which will compromise your grade more than just taking a day off would.

If you're stressed:

You need to be careful here, because if you spend the whole day stressed, you won't actually feel any more relaxed. You will have wasted a day off and may actually become more stressed because of it.

Plan 3-5 things you're going to do to help you relax. This might be cleaning your space, reading some manga, watching a film, taking time to cook for yourself, doing skincare, etc.

Cleaning might not seem relaxing, but it helps improve your mental state so much. Coming back to a messy room after a rough day sucks. Put on some music, a YouTube video, or a show, and start cleaning. Moving furniture around and changing the layout of your room is also scientifically proven to improve your mental state! You'll also feel accomplished afterward.

Hang out with friends if you can. Studying can be isolating!

If you just can't be bothered:

Try to get some studying done at home instead. Look over the lecture slides 

Dress for success.

I'm not saying you should show up in a red-carpet outfit, but dress in something nice, and maybe a little extra, when you have the energy to. This serves three main purposes:

1. Putting energy into yourself makes you feel good and ensures you don't forget to take care of yourself while studying.

2. It makes you feel more confident, which makes you more likely to ask questions and speak up during lectures.

3. It puts more attention on you, which subconsciously makes you want to work harder.

The easiest way to do this is to plan your outfits the night before or a few days in advance so you know you'll have something to wear. Make sure to check the weather in advance, too!

For exams, focus on comfortable outfits. If you know you'll be walking a lot, pick flat shoes. If you know you'll be sitting for long periods, choose stretchy pants that won't dig in. While being fashionable is good, make sure you're not choosing outfits that are too impractical.

Things I think are worth buying.

I intentionally left this part until the end because I don't like that so much academic content is based around what you can afford or what makes you "look" more academic. You don't actually need any of these things; they'll just make your life much easier. You can probably find alternatives for them, too.

A portable CD player or MP3 player.

These can be quite cheap on places like eBay, charity shops, etc., though even first-hand stores like Amazon have some good ones if you have no other option and intend to use one until it explodes. I prefer using a CD player because it makes switching music less convenient, but an MP3 player is also good, especially because they're cheaper and you can always use an old Sony phone or something similar as an MP3 player to save money. I would also recommend getting rechargeable batteries for them because of the financial and environmental cost of disposable ones.

The reason these are good for studying is that they allow you to avoid your phone and take away a lot of the control you have over your music, which means you're not thinking about your queue or what to play next.

Switching constantly also makes it harder to focus. This applies to everything from music to short-form content to multitasking.

A physical planner.

Don't focus on making it aesthetic; focus on making it functional. If you try to make it pretty, you're less likely to stick with it. You're more likely to remember things when you physically write them down, as well!

A handheld gaming device.

Using your phone as your primary entertainment during breaks can leave you feeling less motivated and struggling to focus during your next lesson or lecture. Having something that requires you to focus on a single task is much more ideal.

I personally prefer older handhelds like the PSP or DS as they're smaller and lighter, but any handheld is good!

Thanks for reading! ♪