#save time

Minimalism for Students in 7 Steps

→ http://ecogreenlove.com/?p=15363

More and more people are talking about minimalism and its benefits nowadays. In essence, minimalism is the art of living a simple yet fulfilled life. It can help remove distracting clutter and allow you to concentrate on things that have value and purpose.

A minimalist mindset is perfect for students who are about to become independent adults. Learn how!

Frozen veggies, especially peas, can be microwaved and eaten in minutes

Fruit cups

Bagged salad

Orange, banana, apple (but not if you have braces). Takes literally seconds to wash, don't be lazy.

Berries (frozen or refrigerated), can be blended, cooked, or eaten as is (non-frozen berries need to be rinsed)

Canned lentils because protein and vitamin B

Eggs can be boiled or scrambled in bulk and saved to eat throughout the week

Deli meat. Can be mixed into dishes or eaten by itself.

Crockpots are great, throw in some meat and/or veggies and sauce, turn it on low, go to work/class, it'll be done when you're back and you can refrigerate or freeze left-overs for when you're really in a rush.

Worst case scenario: pour milk or other protein-based beverage into a thermos the night before, leave it in fridge, grab it on the way out. Put a small package of food such as trail-mix and a bottle of water in your backpack/workbag the night before in case you somehow forget the thermos.

It's okay to go without eating every once in a while, or binge on random vending machibe food in an emergency, but please try to eat healthy and as often as needed. I lost 60+ pounds just from being too busy to eat and experiencing non-stop stress. I lost fat and muscle tone, so my skin hangs loose on my body and my clothes don't fit right. Even though I did need to lose weight, this was not the healthiest way to do it (because I lost muscle tone).

The key here is to: automate the tedious tasks. But what can you automate?

1. Clothes/uniform: Having a uniform can save you lots of time. And stress. You know what you are going to wear every day, anyways. Does this match with this? Maybe I should wear jeans instead of pants? And you don’t get the usual I don't have anything to weeeaaar!!!! Nope. You don't get any of that. I literally wear black pants and similar shirts every day. If it's cold, I throw on a jacket. If it's not, I wear some sandals. My mornings are stress-free and I get ready in less than 3 minutes. Now, some people might find this ridiculous. If you do, why not take a day every week to plan your outfits? Knowing what you are going to wear in advance is a great way to save time! 

2. Meal prep: I meal prep twice a week. Because I like my food to be relatively fresh. You know how good it feels to not worry about what you are going to eat? HEAVEN. That's what it feels. And the time you spent choosing a restaurant, waiting or just cooking every day is reduced. More time for you to save! And let’s be honest, you’re saving money too here.

3. Social Media posts: On Tumblr you can schedule posts which, as a college student that runs a studyblr, I find highly useful. This prevents me from checking social media too much. I haven't used it as often because I'm still on vacation but I can see myself setting some time aside to write 2 or 3 posts in a day to schedule for the week.