Small Routines Make a Big Difference

 

So here are the things I try to do every day so I can keep myself from feeling overwhelmed and help me continue to do as much as I can every day.

 

So, starting in the morning I wake up fifteen minutes early to be able to take a shower before getting ready for the day. It’s a gamechanger. It wakes me up and makes me feel much more comfortable.

 

Then, we jump ahead to after sports. I like to go to dinner early so I can have a bit of time to talk with some of my friends.

 

At night before study starts, I usually get to my desk a bit earlier than 7:30 so I can assess my workload. I then make myself tea. Yes, the tea is important. So, while the tea water gets heated, I make sure my desk is not a mess so that at 7:30 I can start working. It takes away the stress of losing study time with organization.

 

By the way, organization is important, and we often mistakenly think that we need hours of organization every week. But just give it five minutes a day and you’ll most likely stay on top of things.

 

I also try and call my parents as often as possible during the week. And finally, before going to bed, I put my headphones on, turn off the lights and listen to some music in my bed right before falling asleep. Hopefully that happens before 11 pm, but sometimes it doesn’t, and I go to bed later but I still take 10 minutes to listen to music because I know without a doubt that it helps me fall sleep and I need it.

 

So, these small things here and there in my day probably add all up to be taking one hour or less. Let me tell you that my day is a whole lot different when I do not do those things, because in a way they are what keep all the other aspects of my day at Stanstead College from falling apart.

 

I really encourage you to give thoughts into these small things that make your day at a boarding school easier, and maybe ask yourself what more can I do to make my routine easier on myself. Routine isn’t all bad if it is well balanced with work, fun and self-care.

 

Put the little things that make you happy at the top of your priority list and everything else will become easier. As much as boarding school is amazing, it is also hard and demanding. Although that won’t change, you can change the way you approach it. There are many ways you can do so. You might only have to rethink your habits.