So far, this school year has been a spicy time to be alive. And with spicy times comes the inclination to use Uber Eats five times a week, get a maximum of three hours of sleep nightly, and forgo any semblance of a routine that isn’t absolutely necessary to get me out the door and into the classroom. There’s been unexpected changes going on externally and I’ve found that I need a more consistent way to ground myself mentally and keep my cool even if everything around me doesn’t go according to plan. I, like thousands of other peeps, decided to hit up a really cool book, “The Lazy Genius Way,” for more ideas on how to do what I need to do without pulling my hair out. I read all the articles online about what can help. Watched all 30 videos in my YouTube playlist on productivity. All these things really just boiled down to…habits. I know, shock of the century.

If you’re like me and looking to solidify your habits and routines whether in pharmacy school or just to be a proper adult, read on.

Can’t Fit a Square in a Circle

H. Duff said it best- “trying to fit a square into a circle [is] no life.” There are only 24 hours in a day even if my part-time job is pretending that it’s closer to 36 hours. Grab your Passion Planner, flip to a notes page, and spend a minute thinking about the habits you want to build or break. Spend another minute deciding which ones reasonably fit in with your time commitments in your current season of life. Out of the few you choose, focus on one or two each month. (And for extra credit, tie them into your Gamechanger goal in your Passion Roadmap.)

Remember Your Why

When you’re just doing things on automatic because you “should” or some YouTuber said it’s the move because they did it, it can be hard to actually stick to the routines that help you build up your habits. One thing that has worked for me is keeping why I’m trying to make “x” change on an index card. You might choose an easily visible place like on your nightstand or in the drawer of your desk to maintain your room’s ~*aesthetic*~. 

Treat Yo Self

Pavlov was onto something with his dogs. If your routines are all about whipping yourself into shape without any reward, you’re more likely to fall off. I know that I’m someone that looks forward to the break when I study via Pomodoro method and it’s actually what keeps me focused. For me, a reward could be anything from watching an extra episode of Bob’s Burgers to finally ordering a Kindle to make reading on the go a million times easier.

Whichever route you choose and habits you’re trying to build, remember to give yourself grace throughout the process. Changes worthwhile don’t happen in a day. Focus on one small change and keep track of all of your successes. Even if it doesn’t seem like much, you’ll be surprised by just how much you grow.