While I was scrolling aimlessly through TikTok in that weird period between Christmas and New Year I noticed the ‘ins and outs for 2024’ trend where people listed what they wanted to start doing (ins) and things they wanted to stop or limit (outs) in the new year. I thought this was a great way to structure new year’s resolutions and it inspired me to think about how this could be adapted to fit a realistic student lifestyle. From this, I have created my own list of ins and outs specific to a student’s benefit.
Ins
- Getting at least 8 hours sleep While this seems like a simple one, it can be difficult to do, particularly when some nights you’re out until 3am and other times you have to be awake in time for your 9am. Try and have a set bedtime on the evening’s when you aren’t out so you’re well rested for when you’re in university as this will help your mental health and productivity.
- Meal preparation This could be preparing your own lunch to bring into university instead of getting a meal deal. You could also think about bulk cooking prior to the more stressful periods so that you have your meals organised. As a result, you will have one less thing to worry about. Both of these are cheaper and healthier options.
- Setting realistic goals and deadlines Make use of your diary and calendar to help you stay organised but make sure to not overwork yourself. Set aside specific times for independent work in accordance with your weekly plans.
- Keeping on track with academic content throughout the year I tend start a new semester with the good intention of keeping up with the weekly reading and work set. However this often doesn’t last throughout a whole module. But keeping up to date with course content will make life easier when it comes to assignments and exams. Try and organise a routine time in your schedule dedicated for the purpose of weekly module work and readings.
Outs
- Excessive screen time This is something we’re all guilty of. It’s easy to fall into the trap of doomscrolling. One way to help prevent this is setting time limits for specific apps through the ‘screen time’ section in the settings of your phone. You could also choose some healthier alternatives to looking at your phone such as reading or journalling. Finally, don’t have your phone within reach when you go to bed. Not only will this force you to physically get out of bed when your alarm sounds but it will also prevent you looking at your phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
- Unnecessary/Impulsive spending Whether it’s your daily lunchtime meal deal or those shoes you saw online, ask yourself whether you really need this. Particularly when it comes to online shopping, give yourself 24 hours before you decide whether it is worth the purchase or not because the chances are you’ll be dangerously close to your overdraft in a few months.
- Procrastination Get rid of the “I’ll do it later” attitude when you know you won’t. A popular method to help you get started is working for 25 minutes and resting for 5 minutes. This helps break up the work into smaller more manageable chunks making the task seem less daunting. You could also make use of to-do lists where you can prioritise your work for the day and check tasks off as you go along.
- Comparison to others Academic comparison is common at University. Instead of comparing your work to other peoples, focus on yourself and reflect on how much you have developed and achieved. Remember everyone is on their own path.