9 Ways College Freshmen Can Be More Self-Disciplined
If you feel like you’ve forgotten how to do homework, you’re not alone.
Many college freshmen are feeling a little overwhelmed now that the pace of college has picked up.
You’re no longer attending opening mixers and participating in ice breakers. Now you’re turning in papers, taking tests, and more.
How can you become more self-disciplined and get things done? Below are nine different ways to be more self-disciplined!
Finish one small task.
One of the biggest reasons you may be struggling with being self-disciplined is feeling stuck.
It’s easy to continually make plans.
You may even share those plans in an effort to provide yourself some accountability. At the end of the day, however, you might still not do anything about it.
What do you do? How do you get unstuck? Take the first step.
Maybe you’re afraid of failing or messing up. Maybe you’re scared of others thinking less of you. Whatever your fear, you need to get going.
Make your first step choosing a small, easily achievable task. Pick something that’s impossible to fail at doing if you put in even a little effort.
Accomplishing one small task can give you some good momentum and help you move on to a slightly bigger task.
Procrastinate strategically.
There are times where you should procrastinate.
Putting off a task until later isn’t a bad choice when you’re getting “stuck in the weeds.” The key is to make a plan to get that task done later and really make yourself do it.
For example, maybe you have assignments in several classes. In a few classes, you simply need to read some material and take an online quiz. In other classes, you need to prepare a presentation or write a paper.
You might feel so overwhelmed that you put it all off and take a nap or watch Netflix.
Instead of entirely throwing in the towel, pick the easiest thing and do it. You might struggle to stay focused at first, but with a little grit you’ll quickly check this task off your list.
Then choose a slightly bigger task and repeat.
There’s no secret to getting going other than just doing it.
Stay within your limits.
Do you know your limits? You probably took on a lot in high school and maybe feel the need to do the same in college.
While college is a great place to try new things and meet new people, committing to too much too quickly can leave you exhausted and stressed out on a good day.
So how can you know your limits? Test the waters.
Instead of committing to an extracurricular with weekly requirements, pick a one-time event. If that goes well, commit to something that only lasts a month. Then go from there.
Doing extra things can be a great way to meet new people and explore hobbies, but you won’t enjoy them if you’re too stressed out by all you have to get done.
Keep your to-do list short.
To-do lists can be demotivating if they never end.
You may feel more discouraged and unproductive than encouraged and productive if you only finished a few items on your list.
Instead of writing down 10+ things you want to get done in the evening, pick 3-4 items. This will help you feel much more accomplished.
If you have more than 3-4 things to get done, make note of them for later. These tasks can be put off to another day (unless they’re due tomorrow).
Say “yes” to something you enjoy each day.
When I was a college freshman, I was horrible at saying yes to things I actually wanted to do.
I would cry most nights because I was missing out on things I really wanted to do. Although this is embarrassing to admit, I can clearly see now that I needed to be doing some of those fun things. There was no need to cut all the fun out of college.
Don’t be like me. Find one thing you can do today that you honestly enjoy.
It may be watching an episode of your favorite show, getting lunch with a friend, or taking an extra long shower. Just pick one small thing.
Use short in-between times.
One of the biggest lies you can believe about productivity in college is that you need to wait for big chunks of time to get things done. FALSE.
It’s pretty rare to have hours to get things done. (You’ll find this to be more and more true later in your college years.)
Instead of waiting for hours to appear in your schedule, take advantage of the occasional free hour or the 10-20 minutes in between classes.
There are little things you can get done in these short periods of time in the day that may feel like not enough time.
When a task comes to mind, write it down.
Sometimes when you sit down in a class, you may find your mind wandering to the endless list of things you need to get done.
This happens to me all the time as a teacher. One of the simplest tricks I’ve learned to stay present is writing down the things that are bombarding my mind.
Writing it down will help you not feel on edge, worrying if you’ll forget to send that important email or finish that assignment and submit it online.
Stay focused on one task.
Sometimes when you’re reading through a textbook chapter your mind can wander.
Before you know it, you’ve stopped finishing something that really needs to get done and started another task that can wait until later.
Instead of switching your focus mid-task, stay focused on your task until you reach a good stopping point. Then switch tasks.
Use the Pomodoro technique.
I’ve shared this technique before, because it’s a method I really like using and personally find very beneficial.
When you’re really unmotivated, you may struggle with feeling overwhelmed by the size of the project ahead of you.
Setting a 25-minute timer on your phone and forcing yourself to work until the timer rings seems much more achievable than working until the project is done.
Once the timer rings, take a 5-minute break.
Repeat that process four times and then take a longer break for 15-20 minutes.
Before you know it, your work will be done and you’ll be able to work on something more enjoyable.
If you’re anything like me, motivating myself to get anything done these days is difficult.
While there’s no substitute for exercise, healthy eating, and proper sleep, these nine habits can help you choose to do the next right thing until you find yourself consistently being self-disciplined.
