Having moved to university just over a month ago, I came to notice the importance of having a routine. It is no secret after all that as humans we are creatures of habit. But, out of moving out of home into university and university life, this has definitely been the most difficult part - getting myself into good habits and trying to make my life feel less hectic on the daily has been a challenge. So whilst I am trying to find a routine I like and can stick to, I am just going to talk about things I have done that have been helpful in somewhat finding the routine I kind of have now, which will probably change.




1) Going to bed at roughly the same time. This is recommended by healthcare professionals anyway. But one of the things in the first few weeks that kept happening was I kept going to bed at different times.  This left me lost and feeling a little all over the place as I was doing different things at completely different hours each day. Similarly, this applies to other routine things you do every day - trying to have meals at similar hours can help add a little structure to your day.

2) Find a time or day within your week (because let’s be honest I never stick to the same time) to do mundane typical things you need to get done and stick to it. You know the tasks that you hate, but you have to do -  cleaning and domestic chores. I have found simple things like making sure I am vacuuming once a week, and doing the dishes daily helps me think clearly and make sure that my work environment is healthy. Having a designated time to do tasks you need to do helps you to keep on top of it and allows you to work things around your schedule. That doesn’t mean it can’t change, but trying out a few days that work for you has helped me ground myself a little and feel a bit more top of everything and like I am doing everything I am meant to be doing. I find it also frees up time within my week knowing that I have a specific day or time every day to do the essential.

3) Life sometimes is a bit hectic - I am still working on my ‘routine’ and all routines will sometimes change. My routine altogether will probably change. But, that is OK because my routine is not meant to be perfect - it is meant to work for me. To-do lists in the morning or just before I go to bed are lifesavers for me to know what I need to get done each day.