How to Jump Start Your Week

Need to jump start your week? Photo courtesy of CrazySphinx. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.

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Lazy weekends are awesome. Somehow you've managed to have little or no homework. All you've done is lounge around in your PJs, watch TV, and eat leftovers. Or you've taken advantage of your free time and gone out with your friends for a well-deserved break. Whatever you did with your awesome free weekend, the reality of Monday is about to set in. 

Getting your week started after a long break or a lazy weekend with no work is hard to do. You've become accustomed to doing absolutely whatever you want, be it drink all weekend or sit on your couch in your PJs for ten hours. So how do you kick yourself back into high gear for the week to come? Here are a few tips for getting yourself started.

Be Well Rested and Eat Breakfast

Sleep gets more and more elusive as the semester goes on. So as you find yourself with some free time, use it to catch up on your Z's. Go to bed a little earlier than normal to ensure you get your recommended eight hours of sleep. Being tired after a long weekend is not going to help you get your week started off right. Instead of being productive, you'll just be looking for another nap.

I know a lot of college kids say "to hell with breakfast." Who wants to spend the money or time eating breakfast? Well, forgive me for sounding like your mother, but breakfast is actually worth it. It gives you a burst of energy in the morning to help get you through your first classes. Without my breakfast, I am extraordinarily cranky and moody-- hangry, if you will. With my tummy full of cereal or a bagel, I can actually concentrate on my professor's lectures instead of thinking of when I can bolt to the dining hall to grab something to eat.

Additionally, eating breakfast is actually healthier for you. If you don't eat breakfast, even just a light one, there is a very good chance that you will be starving by the time lunch rolls around. Instead of eating a nice, moderate lunch, you will be eating anything you can get your hands on, whether it's cookies, donuts, or something else that might not be so healthy for you, like a sandwich with veggies, some sushi, or a salad.

Give Yourself Some Cushion Time

When you get back to work on your homework after a long weekend, you might be inclined to think, "I must give myself no breaks; I've got to go, go, go." And while that is very admirable, you're going to burn yourself out really fast. Once you've gotten done with your classes and start to work on your homework for the night, give yourself a little "you" time. This gives your brain a nice little break between classes and homework. You can't go 100 miles per hour all the time, so cut yourself a little slack. Work it into your schedule.

Use this time to browse your favorite website, pick up your room a little bit, empty the dishwasher, or just watch a mindless TV show that can take yourself off the academic intensity of the day. Having a break between your intense brain activites will help you power through the large amount of work you have to do after your long weekend.

Start With the Small Stuff

Just motivating yourself to start your homework can be a battle. Your gaming consol is calling your name, urging you to play just one more level, your TV wants you to watch just one more episode. Jumping into a huge, labor-intensive project then can be quite daunting after you've just had a homework-free weekend.

So to break the ice, so to speak, of getting back into the groove, start with the little tasks you need to do. Send that email to your professor, read that ten page assignment, write down the due dates of your big projects. These little things are important but can sometimes slip through the cracks because they're so small. Do them to help push you into the mindset of work, and soon you'll just be chugging along again.

What do you do to help you get started on your week? Let us know in the comments!

[via Lifehacker]