kezpra

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Sunday Brunch and Learning How to Drive

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Evening Habits, The Bad and The Good

This week I did a little experiment on my evening habits. Each day after I got home from school, I tried out various things to see how they affect my productivity. I came to a realization that even the littlest of things can really screw up your entire night routine and leave you with a handful of untouched schoolwork.

The aim for this one week experiment was to give me a wake up call, to let me know what works and what doesn't. Yes, I jeopardized my IB (shoutout to my comparative study and Bio IA), but I've been circling around these bad habits for the LONGEST time. If anything, I believe that doing this will help me improve my academics. I compiled this list of new habits based on that one week experience. Hopefully it will be useful not only for myself, but for you as well.

Source: Interior Decline, Debora

The first thing that I learned is to shower, right after you get home from school (or work). Don't get me wrong. I shower every night. But often times I postpone showering for the late hours, which is stupid because A. It will give me rheumatic, and B. It becomes an 'obstacle' in between my studies. Therefore, I decided that it should be taken out of the list first. Next up is food. This one's pretty self explanatory. You just gotta eat in order to function properly. But aside from the whole nourish-yourself thing, eating also reduces my crankiness. If you don't want to risk having a mental fit in the middle of the night over your hatred for school... put some food into your system beforehand.

Source: Tumblr

Now, here comes the dreaded part of the routine. Whether it be studying or finishing up an overdue essay, you must allocate a few hours of the night for academics (or work). The way this works will probably depend on what task you have at hand. Personally, I want to start prioritizing my school work based on their due dates. A lot of times I neglect this and just do whichever I feel like doing. I figured that this (and YouTube) is the root cause to my ridiculous time management issues. Another tip, establish a fixed studying space. Don't go for the bed. It's the devil in disguise. After my experiment, I decided that the desk in my bedroom is best because it's uncomfortable and keeps me from falling asleep.

Source: Michelle, Jared

After tackling your schoolwork, don't hit that bed just yet. Instead, take a minute to prepare for the next day. Doing this will reduce stress in the morning and leave you feeling as if you've got the world in the palm of your hands. Start by packing up your bag, and laying out the little bits and bobs that you plan on carrying the next day. I also decided to make praying before bed a habit. It's good to spare a little time to reflect on the day and express your gratitude. Frankly, I haven't been praying at all these past few weeks, unless I'm at church, and I'm willing to change that.

Source: Tres Minimal

Finally, sleep. Yes, sleep. There's nothing to say here other than soft feathery pillows and warm comforters.

Initially, I planned on inserting an 'entertainment & recreation' aspect in this routine. But I learned the hard way that opening YouTube, Bloglovin or Buzzfeed is simply a recipe for disaster. It will, and when I say will I mean WILL sidetrack you from doing what's important. Before you know it, you'll be way past the PM mark with your eyes glued to some unnecessary internet content. I've also decided to shift my blogging time to the early mornings, at around 5AM. You may think I'm crazy to wake up at that hour, but what can I say? I'm a morning person at heart.

So, there you go. six steps that sounds simple, but will surely change the way you live. This is how I chose to do it. Obviously as a student, my routine revolves greatly around my academics. You are more than welcome to modify this to meet with your lifestyle. Whichever way, it's the change that matters most.

☮
Kei