1. I will get up before noon on days I have no lectures
But you immediately turn off your alarm when it goes off and nestle back into your pillows. You have errands to run but staying in your warm and comfy bed is just so much more pleasant than getting up and dealing with the outside world.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
If you need a bit of a push to get going in the morning, there’s plenty of wacky alarm clocks for sale that will force you to get out of bed immediately.
You could even download Freaky Alarm for your phone. Their tagline is ‘Beautiful. Evil. Effective.’ And it’s not wrong. This alarm forces you to solve brain teasing puzzles before it will turn off. You can even set it up so you have to go and scan a bar code – which you can place in a different room (or a different building?!) – before you can turn it off!
2. I will decaffeinate my life
But it’s not even 10 am yet and you’re already on your fourth cup of coffee.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
While there are plenty of health benefits associated with drinking coffee, too much caffeine can upset your stomach and make you jittery and anxious. If you’re a serious coffee drinker and can’t cut down on the stuff, switch to decaffeinated coffee after your first couple of cups.
3. I will stop procrastinating when there’s work to be done
But you sat down to start the essay that was due first week back three hours ago. The pages are still blank but you do know exactly what your friends were up to over Christmas and browsed a good number of holiday photos of people you don’t even know.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
A sure-fire way to keep you from procrastinating is to download programmes like SelfControl for Mac or Cold Turkey for Windows. They allow you to block certain websites for a given amount of time so you won’t be distracted by the likes of Facebook and YouTube while you’re supposed to be working.
4. I will go to sleep earlier
But you went to bed two hours ago and are still texting and playing around on your phone.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
Make your room a technology-free zone. Health experts have long talked about the negative impact electronic devices can have on our sleep (the blue light emitted from the screens can interfere with natural sleep rhythms). Stop using your phone or computer 15 to 30 minutes before going to bed – or even better, have a house digital shut down at 9 or 10pm. Put your electronic devices away to resist the temptation of checking your emails in the middle of the night.
And do you know what’s really good for calming your mind and preparing you beautifully for a fantastic night’s sleep? That’s right – it’s reading a book.
5. I will actively participate in lectures
But you interrupt your note-taking after the first fifteen minutes because you just got a text you have to respond to immediately. After returning your attention to your professor, you realise you have no idea what they’re talking about. Might as well keep texting now.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
Keep distractions in lectures to a minimum. Either don’t take your phone to class or turn it off beforehand. If you have to use your computer, download slides and documents at home so you don’t need to be connected to the Wi-Fi and won’t be distracted by all the fun stuff on the internet.
There’s a theme developing here – self discipline when it comes to phone and internet access is the key to keeping your new university term resolutions!
6. I will go to ALL my lectures and seminars
But after hitting the snooze button for the third time in a row you’re already late for your 9 am lecture and decide you may as well skip it and stay in bed.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
You’re probably paying a fair amount for your education, and every lecture you miss is money wasted. While some people may manage to complete their degree even if they only attend half their lectures, those with good attendance records tend to get higher grades which ultimately means landing a better job.
7. I will do more university work and less TV series watching…
But Netflix just released a new season of your favourite TV show. You spend the entire weekend binge-watching episode after episode while your textbooks gather dust in the corner.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
Don’t just ban TV watching completely, use it as a reward system. Combine it, or other things you enjoy, with studying. Do some work for a few hours and then reward yourself with watching an episode of a TV show, listening to music or reading a book.
8. I will focus more on school work instead of extracurricular activities
But you’ve been back at university for barely a week and have already signed up for two events hosted by your university society. You’ve also said yes to several party invitations, and agreed to help your friend sell biscuits for charity.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
It’s important to have a good amount of extra curricular activities going on. Staying active and social is good for your mind, and you need your mind sharp for studying. But having too much going on in your social life can also make for bad grades. The key is finding a good balance between school work and other commitments.
If you feel your other commitments are starting to have a negative effect on your grades then you can conduct an ‘activities audit’. Write down the activities you do outside of work and assess which ones bring you the most value and which you wouldn’t miss too much if you gave up. Then re-balance your life!
9. I will eat more healthily
But you’re in a rush and decide to grab lunch from the chip shop around the corner from your university.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
Fast food is tasty and convenient and we’ve all been guilty of going for a burger instead of a salad. To improve your diet, start cooking nutritious meals that freeze well so you can take some of it to class with you and avoid buying unhealthy food – this will also save you cash too.
Also, if you know you’ve got something tasty yet healthy sitting in the fridge at home, you’ll be less tempted to go for a greasy kebab after a long night out.
10. I will keep my flat spotless
But you just added another dirty plate to the ever-growing pile of dishes sitting in the sink. Your room isn’t much better with clothes thrown across the floor and books covering your entire desk.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
Wash your dishes right after you’ve used them to avoid ending up with a huge stack of dirty plates and cups in the sink. Wash as you go, tidy as you go. This is a key philosophy when it comes to keeping things nice – it means there’s never too much to do at once.
If you share a flat, it can also help to draw up a cleaning schedule with your flatmates. You’ll be more likely to do your chores if you know the others are watching. Sometimes the best cleaning schedule is an agreement that ‘on Tuesday early evenings we put some music on and all clean the flat together’. It’s about finding what works best for your group.
11. I will take better care of my finances
But as a reward after a stressful week you just bought yourself a new pair of shoes and two tops you don’t even need.
How to avoid breaking this new university term resolution
Make a budget and stick to it. Which means knowing exactly how much money you have in your account at any one time – don’t bury your head in the sand, check your account balance!
When you’re more aware of the amount of money you have, and the rate at which you spend it, you can make more considered choices about whether you can really afford to buy those shoes.