This is the Day the Lord has Made
By: Lisa Dugan
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was a college freshman sitting in our school’s snack bar eating a bagel (with cream cheese, of course!) tears streaming down my face. I was exhausted and had papers to write, tests to study for, and social commitments to keep. College was supposed to be the best days of my life, but this was not how I had envisioned it. My life was out of control! I was feeling overwhelmed and questioning my decision to even attend college. At that moment, I realized I had 2 choices. I could continue to wallow in my circumstances and order a milkshake to make me feel better or I could begin to organize my life and stop living by the seat of my pants.
That was the day I became intentional about how I used my time and developed a daily routine. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) Between classes, studying, homework, jobs, exercise, clubs, friends, calling home, and getting a good amount of sleep, it seemed impossible to make the best of every opportunity. Establishing a daily routine prevented me from wasting time deciding what I should do next. We are a few weeks into this semester and my question to you is “How are you doing with the time you’ve been given?” Do you like your daily routine? “What routine,” you say? “That went out the window the first week of classes.” Are you stressed and overwhelmed? If so, I’d like to offer some encouragement on how to regain, or even establish, a daily routine.
First, grab a sheet of paper or print out a weekly calendar. Then, schedule all your classes, jobs, meal times, committee meetings and yes, study time. While everyone’s daily routine will look different, below are a few practices you may want to incorporate into your daily and weekly schedule:
1. A Morning Routine: Let’s be honest, your first activities in the morning set the tone for the rest of your day. Avoid waking up fifteen minutes before you need to be out the door. Set your alarm and get up when it goes off. Hitting snooze is not allowed. Make your bed, spend time with God by reading a devotional or praying, have a set hygiene/beauty routine, and eat breakfast. Consistently following your morning routine will help start your day off right.
2. Make time for Jesus: Spending time with Him definitely puts everything in perspective. If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, the first question you should ask yourself is “When was the last time you spent time with Jesus?” Not just a quick devotion or prayer, but actually spent time studying His word and praying. Perhaps, this will be studying on your own or with a group of like-minded sisters. Maybe you need to find a Bible reading plan or a great worship music playlist on Spotify to focus your mind on Him. As the Nike ad says, “Just Do It!” It will be time well spent.
3. Exercise: This can be as little as doing stretches in your dorm room, going for a walk/run or hitting the gym for a full-on sweaty workout. There’s just something about getting the endorphins going that helps to clear the mind to focus on the task at hand. Ask a friend to join you and you’ll have instant motivation not to find something else to do.
4. Schedule time for things that normally distract you: There is nothing wrong with taking breaks to check social media and email. But, don’t fool yourself on how easy it is to endlessly scroll through Instagram stories or Tik Tok videos. Instead, schedule times to check them. I’ve even gone so far as to set an alarm on my phone to alert me when my time is up and I need to move on. Treat social media and email as part of your to-do list, just like studying for your next quiz or writing your next paper, rather than allowing them to overtake your day.
5. Schedule activities you love doing: Yes, give them an actual spot in your routine. Coffee with friends, schedule it. Reading for fun or hobbies, schedule it. Actually, write down a start time and an end time and stick to it. View this time as a fun reward for following your routine.
6. Evening routine: How you end your day is just as important as how you start it. Include personal hygiene. Yes, remove your makeup and wash your face and brush your teeth nightly! Call it self-care and enjoy! Prepare your outfit for the next day to avoid the, “I have nothing to wear” scream in the morning. Most importantly, turn off your electronics (some experts say at least an hour before bedtime).
Remember, daily routines are supposed to help you, not stress you out. Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day and be sure to include an activity you love to do. If you haven’t created and followed a daily routine before, give yourself some grace. Baby steps. Formulate a schedule that works for you and keep at it. As the great motivator, Tony Horton (P90X creator), says, “Do your best. Forget the rest!” College is a unique time in your life where focusing on yourself isn’t necessarily viewed in a negative light. Use this time to begin forming good habits that will follow you on into the next chapter of your life.
