The feeling I associate most with my early college days isexhaustion.
I wrote all my papers at night; I fought sleep every time a lecture got a bit dull.
Its Freshman Orientation Week at Lifehacker!
So velcro up your Trapper Keepers, students.
Class is now in session.
If youdont get enough sleep, your ability to learn suffers.
You wont remember things as well or think as clearly.
Youll drift off when your reading gets boring.
And then youll attempt to prop your eyelids open for all-nighters to make up on the learning you missed.
There are physical effects, too.
Without enough sleep, youll feel more stressed and get sick more easily.
Schedule yourself some sleep
It may help to think of sleep as a vindictive mob boss.
If you dont pay your debtseight hours a nightsomeone will come and break your kneecaps.
Plan ahead so youre not in that situation.
When you schedule your classes and activities at the beginning of the semester, pay attention.
When is your earliest class, and what is your latest evening obligation?
A packed day can lead to an all-nighter just because you didnt have enough time to get everything done.
Build in some time to wind down at night and get yourself mentally ready in the morning.
If youre commuting to school and working a job or three, life gets in the way.
You have plenty of things competing for your attention, and something has to give.
you could party and drink every night!
it’s possible for you to skip class and nobody will chase you down in the halls!
Thats kind of the ideal way to use it.
Youre dulling your sharpest stay-awake tool.
Not every week, okay?
Nobody wakes up and says man, I wish I had an extra hour of Youtube last night.
So plug in your phone in a place you cant reach it from bed.
Just keep it out of bed.
If youre in a dorm with a quiet hours policy, that should help.
If theres a quiet hours policy but nobody enforces it, go talk to your RA.
(This is a good reason not to sign up for 8 a.m. That doesnt mean you gotta hop out of bed raring to go every Sunday.
Instead, make yourself a nice wake-up routine.
Maybe bring your blanket to the couch to watch TV, and make yourself a cup of tea.
Something calm and relaxing, so long as your eyes are open.
