In the thick of the semester, it’s easy and often beneficial to develop a strict routine.
Many of us are creatures of habit — we wake up at the same time, eat at the same time and tend to structure our days uniformly.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a good routine. In fact, it’s important to establish one for the sake of being organized.
However, with a repetitive schedule comes an eventual monotonous lifestyle.
Many people, including myself, maintain this rather boring way of living for the sake of completing the daily tasks that come before it. But that doesn’t mean we have to every day.
Obviously, it’s important to stay focused. But that shouldn’t come at the cost of enjoying the short time we get at MSU, or the relatively short time we have to live as it is.
I’m not encouraging students to drop their work and spend the rest of the year “finding themselves” or partying every night. But it’s surprising what a massive effect one spontaneous event every once in a while can have on your overall well-being.
It may sound excessive, but changing the way you relax — or what you do while you relax — can provide a solution.
It can be as simple as mixing up your usual weekend activities, or doing something fun on a weeknight that is usually spent just watching Netflix. Get creative.
People say that a big part of college is about the memories you make, and that’s true. What is also true is that the things you do all the time, fun or not, won’t stick out as your best memories. Rather, they’ll blend together.
The events and activities you never saw coming, or never really planned, are the ones that will be held onto.
Besides, for the sake of making memories, doing something out-of-the-blue everyone once in a while will keep you feeling fresh when it is time to get back to work.
Especially with final exams quickly approaching, this is something to keep in mind.
From my experience, I never like to break routine. It’s just natural for me to want to keep myself in the realm of my daily schedule and I’m sure many people can identify with that.
But, more often than not, when I do break from my routine I’m ecstatic that I did. It’s almost always when I have the most fun.
Sure, it’s more comfortable to keep things as-is and stay within your normal schedule. But with practice and over time it’s easier to develop the presence of mind to know when the right time might be to break out of the norm for the day or night.
During college — a time when your brain is particularly vulnerable to getting bogged down by daily work — keeping your mind fresh should be a top priority.
