Staying healthy is important when it comes to going to university and being successful. The healthier you are, the better you will be able to juggle multiple assignments, study, and do research. Many times students don’t stay healthy though. I was one of those students and while I did graduate, I could have made life a lot easier on myself if I had followed the tips below:
1. Get Up Early and Get to Bed Early
When I graduated I was immediately exposed to the real world and, at that time, I had friends that were just starting out in business. Fast-forward to today and all of these people are up at 5 am instead of 8 am. In fact, if you were to do a survey of the habit of the most successful leader and entrepreneurs, you would find that almost none of them sleep past 6 am.
Think about it: When you are up at 5 am as opposed to 8 am, you have approximately 3 more hours you can use for school work and you can get much more accomplished with an extra 3 hours in the morning than you can with 3 extra hours of staying up at night time. When you are up early and you start working, by the time you get to the end of the day, you are tired and ready to fall asleep where your body can work it’s magic in the state of rest and repair.
When students stay up late, they tend to drink a lot of caffeine, and then when they are finally ready to call it a night, they can’t sleep! Get up early and your health and student grades with thank you.
2. Alcohol is for Weekends ONLY
Many student events at bars or even in dorms occur on weekdays thus making it very tempting to drink. Don’t do it! Resist! The problem isn’t just the hangover in the morning, it’s the brain fog that continues to linger throughout the day and even into the next day. While physically you may feel better by the afternoon, your brain is still swimming in your drink of choice and it is slowing you down considerably without you necessarily realizing it.
Will power is often very tough and not very effective at motivating people to take action and this has been backed up by research. What does motivate someone is getting a reward. So stay off the drinks during the week, work hard on weekdays and reward yourself with a night out when the weekend hits. You’ll notice a significant improvement in your studies if you follow this guideline.
3. Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize
Not every assignment is of equal value and not every course is geared directly towards your degree. When you are making a list of things to get done for school each day, look through what needs to be done that day and rank them accordingly and prioritize what is more important. Too often students just plow their way through assignments and study with little consideration given to what order they should be accomplishing their tasks.
4. Study in Your Clothes and not Your PJ’s
Any psychologist would probably tell you this and for good reason. When you are in your pajamas, your brain starts thinking in relaxation mode, like you are about to go to bed. When you are dressed like you would when you head for class, you are more alert and focused. PJ’s are ok for maybe an hour or two when you first wake up, but after that, get some regular clothes on and go back to work.
5. Eat as Healthy as You Can
When you are busy finishing assignments and studying at the same time, it’s easy to get into a takeout/fast food routine and/or a routine whereby you simply aren’t consuming the recommended daily calorie count of food. What starts to happen? Well, the coffee you are drinking goes right through you and out meaning, that you are going back and forth to the washroom a lot, a distraction, to say the least.
Furthermore, your stomach is rumbling, making weird sounds, and also distracting you as well. Sooner or later, you find yourself in a position where you physically look like you’re studying, but really, you’re just too distracted. Now let’s be realistic, too though. It’s really hard to get a student to eat perfectly healthy don’t try and eat perfectly. Just try to get some extra green and fruit added to your diet and maybe some nuts. Nuts are packed with good calories, they taste good, they’re good for you, and they help give you energy.
6. Use Music While Studying and Before Bed
Some of you may or may not have heard of something called “binaural beats.” What they are essentially are two sets of frequencies that get played into your headphones in each, and they are usually accompanied by soft music. The frequency imbalance coupled with the music help greatly when trying to focus and stay alert, or get you sleepy and ready for bed. It all depends on the frequency you choose. Just do your homework on this one.
The main point is to listen to ambient music, piano, guitar, or any other pleasant music without lyrics that you can find. It will really help with concentration and help you fall asleep when you need to.
7. Spend Some Time Studying in the Physical Location Where you Will Be Taking a Test
Chances are you still be taking most exams in the same location where you were when you were going to class. Pay attention to whatever room that is. See when it’s free and unlocked and see if you can get into that room and study for a bit, in the exact same place you would normally sit. What this does is trick your brain in a way and help stimulate recall.
Your mind will form certain associations between what you are studying and the physical location you are in. That is to say, that certain things in the classroom environment will help jog your memory when taking the real exam and give you that little bit of a leg up over others. If you are not able to get into your classroom outside of classroom hours, then take at least a little bit of time to physically study just outside the classroom doors or as close as you can think of
8. Take Regular Breaks
Don’t study and/or work on assignments for long periods of time without a break. Take regular breaks and get up and walk around and stretch those legs! Clear your mind and come back to work feeling refreshed!
Even if you follow all of these tips, you may still find yourself in a position where there is just too much to do and not enough time. This happens frequently when you are trying to study for a big exam, but you have to finish a paper too. The good folks at Studybay understand this and they can help you get all your work done on time. They specialize in helping students with papers so before you pull your hair out, contact Studybay and see what resources they have to offer you so that you can breathe a little bit better and ace that exam! Good luck!
Kim Marks