Simple life hacks that students need to know

5th Jan 2018

Happy new year everybody! I hope 2017 has brought you wonderful memories and valuable lessons, may 2018 be filled with more laughter and growth. Holidays were intense and only now when I have got back to university and I have sat down and relaxed has all of the late nights and constant eating finally hit me. I feel so sluggish and tired and my sleeping pattern is all over the place. So here are some top tips to get you back into the term 2 spirit and help you rejuvenate:

CLEAN EVERYTHING! – Wash all of your bedsheets, curtains, cushions, rugs, wipe everything with disinfectant especially door handles and bannisters. Clean your make up brushes and your bathroom kits. When was the last time you moved your bed and hoovered under it? Wipe your fridge and throw away any old food, check the date on tinned goods and packets- yes baked beans can go out of date! Honestly, there is a reason why we have spring cleaning. I got back to university feeling so lazy and the thought of everything being spotless lifted my mood. This will also prevent germs from spreading because it’s so cold out I am sure there are plenty of bugs floating around ready to start freshers flu (I am already ill!).

Organise your notes– Do not throw anything away, you will always need it again. Even if you just need to refer to something, my mum threw away all of my notes and now I have to re-read books which wastes so much time! But re-reading has its benefits but it’s also handy to look at how you initially interpreted texts.

Sort out your wardrobe and your living space- charity shops always get new stock after school holidays. Why? Because people now have the time to pile up unwanted things and can get rid of them. Please ensure you drop off things from your wardrobes, within your home or even outdoor toys and tools to the appropriate places. If you cannot send them to charity shops, think who else would be grateful? My friends donated their Christmas tree to a primary school so they can put it in their school hall for the next Christmas, and their decorations! Donate unwanted gifts as well, we always get those random things that seemed to be in the reduced section in shops, why not try and sell them online? or donate them?

Arrange meetings with tutors and your friends! Coming back to university is going to be exciting you might have missed your friends, or just missed being in your own space again. Time to hit the ground running and juggle 100 things at a time again (I LOVE IT!). Organise meetings with your tutors to discuss feedback or generally your plans for each module, what are you hoping to get out of it? and ask them what assignments are coming up next so you can start clicking on work mode and thinking about the questions. Time to catch up with your pals and tell them all about your holidays, what movies you’ve watched, tell them about the friend from back home who is now acting all strange…(yup this is normal do not worry)…catch them all up. To be honest, I hardly spoke to any of my friends from university except when I had questions about work and the standard Merry Christmas and happy new year. But that’s fine, no harm was done, they’ll bounce back when you see them and if they don’t well I guess they’re not as cool as a friend as you hoped them to be so you can just move on. Sounds harsh but that’s something I’ve learnt last year if people aren’t on your level just wait for them to realise that you were an amazing friend they missed out on.

Back up and save!: please back up all of your work, music, pictures and other data on your laptops and phones! Store them in online storage spaces, google drive or one drive (I think Warwick offer some storage space https://warwick.ac.uk/services/its/servicessupport/datastorage/ check here for more information). Even delete things that you no longer need, clear up some memory so your devices will work more effectively.

Enjoy your last few days of the winter vacation and prepare yourself for the new year and term 2!