6 Life Hacks That Will Ensure You The Most Productive College Experience Ever
By Marley Mayer
Oh college. Oh the joy of education, and the wonders of being broke, stressed, and stretched to your limits.
I am not an expert, but I have learned a few things in the last three years that keep me alive, somewhat sane, and somewhat successful.
1. Learn how to correctly take a power nap. Napping is an art form. It takes precision, time management skills, and hardcore commitment. College students don’t have the ability to just take a nice, peaceful, alarm-clock-free nap, or they’ll wake up four hours later, not knowing what day it is, with two classes accidentally skipped, and a headache that feels like someone repeatedly hit them with their Biology textbook. Napping can also take a bit of creativity. There are always secrets spots on campus if you look hard enough, and don’t underestimate the power of an 8-minute nap. Those suckers will save you. Just make sure to set that alarm. Zzzz.
2. Keep snacks within reach at all times. College leaves you hangry (extreme hunger that leads to anger and irritability) about 99% of the time. You’ll begin to daydream about your mom’s cooking at the most inconvenient times. You’ll be sitting in class and your stomach will start to make loud grumbling sounds that semi resemble a grizzly bear, and then everyone in class will stare at you like you’re the most annoying human in the universe. That was a bit dramatic. But seriously, pack that backpack full of snacks, so you can avoid those hunger-induced, grade-A meltdowns. A full stomach is a happy stomach.
3. Know your body’s caffeine intake for optimal functioning. I cannot stress the importance of being in tune with your caffeine levels. Some people need a small black coffee at 8am to make it through the day, while others need a double espresso shot every 2 hours to survive. Listen to your body. I have friends who become shaky and unfocused from too much caffeine. Or maybe you’re like me. Give me a latte (and a snack of course), and I’ll and turn into superwomen, and magically write a 10-page paper in an hour. From my research there seems to be an exponential relationship between coffee intake and productivity, but do you.
4. Forget everything you ever learned about citing sources in high school. Whatever you learned on this topic in high school, just completely throw it out the window because it’s most likely wrong. Go to the writing center freshman year, re-learn the right way, curse your high school teachers, and call it good.
5. Know when to multi-task, and more importantly, when not to. According to studies, multi-tasking causes people to do work half-ass, and although that’s probably not the word they use, it’s true. I often find myself texting, on Facebook, doing homework, making a new Spotify playlist, watching Netflix in the background, and talking to friends. This is just reality. It’s okay from day to day. But when you have a million and one things due on Monday morning, and it’s 10pm on Sunday, you’re going to need to turn off your phone, say bye to your friends, hit the library, and get that sh*t done.
6. Your mental and emotional health will always be more important than your grades. On a more serious note, stress causes a lot of harm to your physical body and your overall wellbeing. Sometimes we can get wrapped up in the work and the hype of college, but at the end of the day, take care of yourself in the best way you know how. A few bad grades aren’t going to keep you from a future job. There are so many more important things that define you besides your GPA.
Happy college-ing lades and gents.