#othertips

HOW TO WAKE UP EARLY

So you have a few 9am classes which means that you have to be up early. And if you’re not a morning person - this means surviving on a WHOLE lot of coffee. Below I’ve compiled a list of my top ten tips on how to wake up early (without feeling like you want to die).

HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR WANTING TO WAKE UP EARLY. Set something to do early in the morning that’s important/fun. This might be something like exercising, checking emails, studying, cooking a nice breakfast, wearing a cute outfit etc. This reason will motivate you to get up.

DON’T GO FROM WAKING UP AT 9AM TO WAKING UP AT 6AM. Just... don’t do this. Start by waking up 30 minutes earlier, and then 45 minutes earlier, and slowly build it up. Do the same with the time you go to sleep - don;t go from sleeping at 1am to sleeping at 10pm. Start with 12am, then 11.30 etc.

PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE. Clothes, school bag, water bottle, food. It saves so much time in the morning and if you think about it, you can sleep in a little more if you’re prepared.

PUT YOUR ALARM/PHONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR ROOM. This means you have to get up to turn it off and you are MUCH less likely to hit snooze. BUT if you have trouble waking up right away, have a three alarms set. First one 20 minutes before the time you want to wake up, second the time you want to wake up and the last twenty minutes after. The first one will wake you up a little and if you fall asleep for 20 minutes, it won’t be a deep sleep. The last one is to make sure you don’t oversleep. This brings me onto the next point:

STOP SNOOZING. Continuously pressing snooze in the morning to get those extra 8-minute intervals of rest can be really disruptive for your sleep. It is BEST to sleep for a solid block of time (at least one REM cycle) and then be awake for a solid block of time. 

NAP DURING THE DAY - it will help you compensate for the low amount of sleep you’ll get in the process of becoming a morning person. But stop taking them as soon as your able to get over 7 hours of sleep per night. NEVER take a nap after 4 PM though, that’s just gonna wreck up your night’s sleep!

SLEEP WITH THE CURTAINS/BLINDS SLIGHTLY OPEN. In the morning, the sunlight will naturally creep in and awaken you more easily!

NO CAFFEINE AND NO ALCOHOL. I mean this both before you go to bed, and when you wake up. Instead, have a drink of cold water to help you wake up, or an apple!! And if you need something warm before you go to sleep, drink decaffeinated tea/coffee/cocoa. 

CONSIDER: light/no makeup routine , small/no breakfast, evening showers/skin care, 8 hours of sleep, turning off electronics 1 hour before bed, etc.

Are you interested in greek life but are unsure? Keep reading then! I will be debunking myths and answering common questions. Joining greek life was the best decision I’ve made and I hope it can be a decision you decide to take as well. 

BACK TO SCHOOL ADVICE

So I start university on the 21st September and I thought I’d kick off with a Back to School post with tips I’ve learned from both high school and sixth form!

PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE

Your outfit, your bag, your breakfast, your bus pass. All of it. Have it all ready before you go to bed so you’re not stressing in the morning. You have a presentation? Make sure you have everything for it. Need your laptop? Pack your charger. It saves time in the morning and you’ll feel much more relaxed and prepared.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

This one’s pretty simple. Always do your homework so you’re caught up with what’s being taught in your class. I know it’s a lot easier said than done because realistically, we don’t want to do extra work after a long day of classes, but in the long run it helps to retain information, and if you don’t do it, you won’t be in your teacher’s good books which may affect your grade, reference, applications for university or jobs etc. 

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS

Your teachers are there for a reason, to enhance your learning and understanding. You’ll come out a better student, and it’ll help SO MUCH. And don’t limit yourself to just your own teacher - ask friends, other teachers, family - anyone else who might be able to help. Don’t let yourself struggle. Your teachers are there to help you.

BE INDEPENDENT WITH YOUR LEARNING

Don’t be too dependent on your friends in class. Your friends won’t always be there t help you with homework or class work or new ideas. Definitely help each other out! But be as independent as possible. When you get to university, nearly everything is independent and you have to do things off your own back - prepare for the future!

STUDYING AND STUDY BUDDIES

Study. Study study study. Make a study timetable, study with friends, make a to-do list!! Studying is key to maintain your grades and retain your information. 

ONLINE RESOURCES

If your teacher didn’t explain a concept well enough, there are so many online resources. Namely: Khan Academy, Youtube, Quizlet. Or even ask a friend! If your teacher is consistently not helpful, talk to them! 

LEARN TO LOVE THE SOUND OF YOUR FEET WALKING AWAY FROM THINGS THAT AREN’T MEANT FOR YOU

This can be towards anything, whether it’s a friend, a class, a hobby. Sometimes, things aren’t right for us and it’s okay to walk away from it. Maybe choosing English as your major wasn’t a good idea, or maybe your new friend isn’t good for you. That’s okay! Remember this quote!

SLEEP

Try and get at least eight hours of sleep every night. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and it will be much easier to concentrate. You do not want to be going to school for six hours, trying to survive on four hours of sleep. Just don’t put yourself through that! If you have trouble sleeping at night, come off your phone and devices an hour before you want to go to bed.

RELAX

Give yourself the free time you deserve!!!!!!!! Don’t spend all your free time studying because you will burn out. Watch Netflix, scroll through instagram, listen to music, do whatever you want!! School is not all about learning. HAve fun and let yourself have some down time to relax!

MOTIVATION WILL NOT ALWAYS HELP YOU. Rely on self-discipline. Motivation will not get you out of bed every day, but finding an effective routine for yourself will. (A post on motivation vs self-discipline is coming soon!) 

Here are a few I can think of off the top of my head

start early

plan ahead / keep a diary / journal to stay organised

sometimes less is more

if you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t know it

trust your instincts

have some sort of creative hobby or a creative outlet, even if you’re not good at things creative-wise. they’re fun and a great way to wind down after stressful days.

take breaks when studying for a long time

Honestly... anything that you can type on and has enough storage and battery life for you to save files on and use for a good amount of hours. Personally I have a Macbook Air and I know a lot of other students that do too!! I have the 2017 version I’ve used since sixth form and it’s held up pretty well! Others I’ve heard are good are the Chromebooks, HP Envy and the Dell XPS.

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