Life doesn’t have to be stressful if you use organization and discipline
By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor
By pre-chopping and packaging veggies and portioned proteins, you save yourself a lot of hassle, time-wasting, and decision-making.
So, here’s the thing: life doesn’t have to be that difficult or stressful. It really doesn’t! I mean, yeah, you’ve gotta figure out how to balance your social life, love life, classes, homework, family, keep yourself organized, do your taxes, cook decent meals, and get enough sleep—but it is all possible! This guide here is to help you do basic things right by utilizing the skills of communication, organization, and discipline.
Taxes
Don’t even worry about these! That’s what Wealthsimple Tax is for! Stop stressing over this yearly necessity and definitely stop paying someone else top rate to do it for you when it really is as simple as Simple Tax. Wealthsimple is a legitimate, user-friendly site with a pay-what-you-can structure that takes the stress out of doing taxes by providing clear, step-by-step instructions on what to do with all those T4’s, T4A’s, T4E’s, and T2202’s. Wealthsimple even makes doing your taxes fun when you get to see your returns rise right before your eyes! Go ahead and give Wealthsimple a try—you’ll find that you never put off doing your taxes again!
Cooking
Ensuring you eat proper healthy meals, especially as a student living on your own, can oftentimes be a struggle—but it doesn’t have to be! Meal-prepping is a lifesaver. Designate one day out of the week to plan and prep all your meals for the week ahead.
Start by making more frequent and smaller grocery shopping trips to avoid food waste, then get into the habit of washing up, portioning, and packaging your meats and veggies right away when you get home. By pre-chopping and packaging veggies and portioned proteins, you save yourself a lot of hassle, time-wasting, and decision-making. Also, your fridge will thank you, as everything will be cleaner, smelling better, and stacked up neatly in reusable Tupperware containers.
If you honestly think meal-prepping isn’t your thing and there’s no way I can convince you to jump on that bandwagon, then why not give a meal-delivery service a try? No, I’m not talking Skip the Dishes (that’s too expensive and unhealthy for long-term), but rather Chef’s Plate, Hello Fresh, and Noom! These services send all the ingredients and instructions for easy-to-make meals right to your front door for as little as $9! They can save you some serious time and serious cash.
Sleep
Honestly, this one is as easy as setting a schedule for yourself and NOT TOUCHING YOUR PHONE when it’s lights out time. If you have a repeat alarm to get you up in the mornings, regardless of whether you have a schedule to adhere to or not, you’ll find yourself going to bed exactly when you need to ensure you’re receiving a proper full eight hours of sleep. Trust me, I did my time as a baker waking up at 4 am for my 5 am start. At first, I had to force myself to get to bed early enough to make sure I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the workday ahead, but sooner than I thought possible, I was ready to hit the sack by 8 pm. So, set a wakeup alarm, don’t turn on your phone (don’t even glance at it) and watch the sleep magic happen.
And if you’re thinking, “but I’ve got so much homework and studying to do, I’ll never be able to actually get to sleep on time!” Yes, yes you will. Stop wasting your time on social media or texting your friends all day long and you’ll find you have plenty of time throughout the day to get what you need to do, and that brings me to…
Social Life/Love Life
It’s highly important that we all have a social life. But it’s also important to understand that your education comes first. With that in mind, think of it this way… for every homework assignment or chapter of studying that you get done, that’s a brief moment of social media or hanging out with friends you can award yourself with! It’s also an excellent kill-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of idea to make friends with the people you have classes with. That way, you can socialize with them at class and not take away any time from your studies!
As for a love life, plan a date night once a week and make sure you stay on schedule so that you can guilt-free enjoy the whole day with your boo. Trust me, this will work out way better for yourself and your relationship than trying to sneak in distracted moments here and there.
In both cases, setting your intentions clearly, learning to say no to “opportunities” that don’t serve you or fit with your goals, and being open and communicative with the people in your life will leave you with better relationships and a lot more free time on your hands.
Family
Your family will totally understand that you’ve got a lot on your plate right now as a student. Chances are members of your family have been in your shoes already. Also, don’t be afraid to rely on family to keep you motivated and on task with your school work and your work schedules.
If there are special events or holidays popping up in your calendar that you want to participate in, make sure you plan for those in advance by thoroughly using calendar apps to keep track of due dates and meeting/class times. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re enjoying Easter Sunday with the fam and no back-of-the-mind projects or commitments to get through.
Organization
Organization comes with practice. It’s as simple as getting into the habit of putting things away after you’re done with them or right away when you come home from work/school. The more you do it, the more organized you’ll be! And the more organized you are, the easier it will be to continue to be organized and to get more done.
