Dear Reader,
Now that spring break is over and classes are wrapping up, summer is right around the corner with only a few weeks left until final exams. One way you can make great use of the final days of the semester is to “spring clean” your bad habits.
Throughout the year, it is easy to forget to do simple things that can create bad habits. The following are a few somewhat bad habits students may have picked up during the school year that you too might need to work on.
First, when was the last time you cleaned your sheets? If you can’t remember, that is a sign it is time to make the trip to the laundry room. Washing your bed sheets is an easily forgotten task, especially when it feels like the weeks are passing by so quickly. As the days get warmer, allergies get worse and you spend more time outside, your sheets are only going to get dirtier. In the end, four more weeks is too long for those unwashed sheets to last, so do yourself and your skin a favor and start stripping the bed.
This next habit is something I struggle with too often. Cleaning dishes can be a hassle, especially if you are living in dorms, where it feels like you have to swipe your card a hundred times and travel long distances to reach a sink. Don’t be like me and wait until your cups start growing mysterious molds and smelling like decaying Monster Energy drinks.
Make it a habit to take your used cups or dishes directly to the sink for a wash after using them. I have found that doing this makes them easier to clean since I am not giving the food and beverages in the dishes time to fester. This way you won’t have to dread cleaning a tower of dishes that accumulate over time.
My last suggestion for cleaning is wrangling the dust bunnies in the corners of your room. Although you can hide their existence under furniture, it is a good idea to vacuum and sweep every once in a while to get rid of any dirt and grime. With blooming trees and flowers, allergy season may already be causing you to sneeze, and you don’t need a dusty room to add to the discomfort.
Another reason to keep your room clean is to make the approaching move-out day an easier ordeal. Maybe start packing away winter clothing you won’t wear the rest of the semester as you clean. If you live close and plan to visit home before the end of the year, take some of your belongings you don’t need so you will have less to shove in your car or luggage when leaving in May.
For academic clean-up, if you often find yourself skipping lectures, now is the perfect time to fix that. Although it can be tempting to skip a class that posts notes online or is easy to catch up in, there is a reason these classes are in person.
Being in the lecture forces you to be in the mindset to learn. Missing class on occasion is perfectly acceptable if you need to, but if you are taking advantage of skipping a lecture too often, a good challenge for yourself would be to make an effort to go to your classes for the rest of the semester.
Procrastination and burnout can be something you struggle with all year, but it is especially difficult to stay motivated when summer is on the horizon. If you are having a hard time trying to get your work done, set aside a couple hours dedicated to homework, then reward yourself with a relaxing hobby.
If you can’t focus on an essay or are getting jittery while sitting still for an extended period of time, go to the gym and walk on the treadmill or stroll around campus with a friend for a while as a break to get your body moving.
Sometimes you can feel like the only way to catch up is to do everything on your to-do list all at once, but spreading out your tasks is the most effective way to stay up to date with assignments and avoid academic exhaustion.
Drinking more water, getting a better sleep schedule and spending time to recharge are also ways you can help yourself, and it’s never too late to start fixing your habits. The end of the year can be exciting but also hard, especially after attempting to avoid bad habits for two semesters. Try to finish off strong by making an effort to fix a few of these if you choose to.
Challenge yourself to end the year feeling better about your habits, but most importantly, take care of yourself.
So long and take it easy,
Abigail HenshawEdited by Abby Stetina | astetina@themaneater.com