Must-Follow Life Do’s & Don’ts For Women Going Back to School

The Internet is full of “life hacks” for juggling it all, Diva. Maybe you’ve heard of some them:

•     Wake up at 5 AM every day (and never hit snooze!)
•     Study while you workout so you can knock out two things at once
•     Forget about music and listen to motivational speeches on your commute

But is all that waking up early and multitasking every aspect of your life really going to help you juggle it all?

As women who have been where you are, we put together a list of real-life do’s and don’ts for going back to school as a woman with enough already on her plate.

DO Wake Up Earlier

Sorry about this one, Divas. It is true: waking up earlier can help you be a better boss at life! In fact, according to Forbes, a 2008 Texas University study showed that “college students who identified themselves as ‘morning people’ earned a full point higher on their GPAs than those who were ‘night owls’ (3.5 vs. 2.5).” The data is in, and it pays to wake up even an hour earlier each day.

DON’T Drink Caffeine All Day

It doesn’t matter if it’s coffee, Red Bull, or pre-workout: having caffeine after about noon is just a no-go.

Researchers from the Sleep Disorders & Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital and Wayne State College of Medicine found that having caffeine even 6 hours before bedtime affected sleep amounts by over an hour. Skip the caffeine and try an energizing 7-minute workout to give yourself a mid-afternoon power boost.

DO Try A Block Schedule

Ever felt like you’re checking email, texting friends, reviewing social media notifications, listening to a lecture and completing an essay all at the same time? You may feel like you’re doing it all, Diva, but multitasking can lead to feelings of overwhelm.

Instead, try a block schedule! With this simple method, you set up blocks of time (in your actual calendar or phone) for certain activities. Here’s an example:

•     3-3:30 check email
•     3:30-4:00 draft essay
•     4:00-4:30 listen to a lecture
•     4:30-5:00 text, call, and check social media

Everything has a chance to be done at its own time and place! You can relax knowing you’ll get to everything you need to do so that you can focus on one thing at a time.

DON’T Procrastinate

This one’s easier said than done, but there is hope! Waiting until the last minute begs for trouble, stress, and less-than-your-best performance. Set aside even 15 minutes each day before a big deadline to complete one task on a project. Pretty soon you’ll be done!

Let’s say you have a paper due in a week. On Monday, you can find 3 sources. On Tuesday, you can take notes on key points you can use in the paper. Then, on Wednesday, write the thesis and build an outline. On Thursday, write a draft. By Friday, you’ll be breezing through the editing process and hitting “Submit.”

DO Give Yourself A Break

Literally and figuratively speaking, remember to cut yourself some slack! If you know you’re doing your best, try not to feel negative about your productivity. You are worth more than just how much stuff you get done!

Take a break from time to time to watch Netflix, get some sun, or just take a nap. You’re doing great, Diva.