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As a student or anyone looking to change up their life, here are 11 key focus areas to organize your life and work towards effective change! You can focus on these categories of your life to achieve a well-balanced lifestyle and mindset. It can be difficult to juggle everything and keep track of it all, so I suggest keeping a journal or notebook or using a site like Notion to keep everything organized, and I’ve included some action plans to help you get started.
Mental Well-being
Prioritizing your mental well-being can be challenging as a student, but it is absolutely essential. Some days, it can look like taking a walk around the block, other days it can look like writing in a journal such as a wellness workbook. You can create effective daily habits like waking up and journaling or starting the day with meditation to organize your life. There are many ways to incorporate mental well-being practices in your daily life, but you should choose what makes you happy and something you can stay consistent with.
If you’re experiencing depression, anxiety, or would just like to talk with someone, consider seeking professional guidance. Many schools have counselors available, but if your school does not, see if your insurance will cover outside therapists.
Action plan:
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Set mental well-being habits
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Schedule those habits into your day
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Seek out therapy if you think you need it
Physical Well-being
It’s no secret that taking care of your physical well-being can help your mental well-being. This means seeing a doctor or dentist if you need one and also staying active and eating healthy! Working out can take many different forms, but what they all have in common is moving your body. Some examples you can try out are: pilates, calisthenics, weight lifting, running, hiking, swimming, and most sports.
Action plan:
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Find a form of exercise that gets you excited!
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Set aside time daily or weekly to work on physical fitness.
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Find some healthy recipes you’re excited to try!
Financial Well-being
As a student, finances can be a stressful thing. Student loans can loom over a student, and student jobs don’t pay all that much in comparison. However, that doesn’t mean you should give up! While in school, you can set and stick to a budget while learning about investing and retirement options. There’s no need to wait to learn about money to organize your life. You can start by taking a financial workshop course or attending meetings offered by your school!
Action plan:
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Set SMART financial goals
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Set a budget
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Complete a workshop or read a book from a trustworthy financial source.
Values
Values is a broad and flexible category. Some examples include values such as vegetarianism, veganism, or eco-consciousness. This can also include religious, spiritual, and family values. Your values are unique to you, and you should take some time to reflect on them and stay true to them.
Action plan
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Define your values
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Reflect on ways to follow your values
Career / School
This is a big one and maybe one that you spend a lot of time thinking about while you’re in school. Honestly, thinking about your career can be very stress-inducing, but it doesn’t have to be that way in order to organize your life. Planning ahead will help you, but honestly, one thing Covid has taught the world is that even if you’re the most prepared person, things can still change no matter what. Set goals, but remain flexible.
Action plan:
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Stay organized in school, do your best depending on the circumstances, and reach out for help if you need it.
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Set some broad or specific goals depending on your career trajectory (if you have one)
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Meet with a career counselor if you need some guidance
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Search people on LinkedIn with careers you admire and look at their career paths.
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Recognize that everyone’s career path looks different!
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Look up internships or programs you’re interested in and apply ahead of deadlines.
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For internships or programs you’d like to do in the future, schedule deadlines in your planner well in advance so you have a reminder to return to the application when you’re ready.
Mind
While in school, we are constantly learning new things, but they tend to be focused on the subject we’re majoring in. It’s also important to learn new things outside of school. For example, is there a new language you’d like to learn? Do you want to learn how to code? Or maybe you just want to get better at crossword puzzles!
Action plan:
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Set goals for learning outside of school
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Schedule in time daily, weekly, or monthly to work towards those goals
Hobbies
With so much time dedicated to schoolwork, it can feel like there is no time left for hobbies. But hobbies are so important for feeling balanced in life. Hobbies can include baking, cooking, DIY, painting, sports, games, etc! The mind’s the limit when it comes to hobbies. It’s even more fun to try out something you’ve never tried before!
Action plan:
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Look into hobbies
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Acquire materials for hobby
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Set time aside for said hobby
Relationships
Maintaining relationships in college with a busy schedule can be easier said than done. It can be difficult to check in regularly with friends from all walks of life like those from high school and friends you haven’t had the chance to talk to recently from college. Reaching out to say hi and asking how friends are doing is so important not just for your own sake but also for your friends! It shows them that you care and have made the effort to see how they’re doing. This also applies to family members!
Action plan:
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Think of a few friends or family members you’d like to reach out to
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Schedule time every month or so to reach out to these friends or family members to see how they’re doing!
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Put in birthdays in your calendar or planner and send birthday cards or even gifts!
Hair + Skin Care
Hair and skin care goes beyond just vanity (but a little vanity never hurt anyone, right?) It’s about taking care of yourself and feeling confident in the skin you’re in. Hair and skin care will look different for everyone. You can try and find what works best for you! Start by looking into what categories your hair and skin fall. For example, you might have type 2b wavy-curly hair which does really well with minimal smoothing products. Or maybe you have oily skin in your T zone, so you can try to avoid moisturizing with heavy residues.
Action plan:
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Find your hair and skin type
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Find products that work well for your hair and skin
Clothing
Find your personal sense of style! You don’t need to spend a fortune to create your wardrobe either. Make a list of pieces you’d like to find, and if one of your favorite stores is having a sale, see if anything on your list is part of the sale! For more ethical and affordable options of shopping, you can also look in thrift stores or sites like ThredUp to save your wallet and the planet.
Action plan:
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Look up fashion inspiration
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Save pieces you’d like to buy in a list
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Add those items to your wardrobe
Living Space Aesthetics
Living spaces are so important for mental clarity and positive energy. Think about it, do you want to come home from a long day at school to a space that doesn’t really feel like yours? Creating a sense of style in your home will allow you to feel proud of your space and organize your life. It may also cause you to keep it more organized and clean.
Action plan:
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Set a Color Palette: White with pops of color, cool blue, warm tones, etc
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Decide on items to clear out: Evoke Marie Kondo’s philosophy of sparking joy, and then donate things with no joy to give.
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Set and stick to a cleaning schedule.
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Decide on items to repurpose: Is there something in your room that needs a little sprucing up?
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Look up DIY projects: any fun decor pieces you can make to save money?
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Create a list of items to shop: Think a headboard would make your room feel more put-together?
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Set a budget: Time for the less fun part, but it’s all part of the challenge. Stick to your budget!
