Trust me, I know. With weeks and weeks of free time, assignments piling up, and motivation dwindling, the thing that sounds most appealing at this time is hiding in our bedrooms with the blinds down all day. Alas, having a schedule and getting into a new routine is important. In fact, a schedule may help to make this time a little easier and teach you good habits… or at the very least, maybe you can be slightly more productive. Here are a few tips to help you make a self-schedule.

   Let’s start with the morning. As nice as it sounds to just sleep until eleven a.m. every day, that might not be in your best interest. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Teens need about eight to ten hours of sleep each night to function best” (sleepfoundation.org). The foundation also explains that staying up late and sleeping in late can negatively affect a teenager’s biological clock and hurt their quality of sleep. Therefore, in order to have a productive day schedule, it’s important to start with a productive sleeping schedule. Try to get to bed by 11 p.m. and wake up by 9 a.m. the next morning in order to achieve a full ten hours of sleep, while still waking up early enough to get some stuff done before noon.

   Next comes breakfast. When they said breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they weren’t kidding. According to an article from the BBC, “Eating a balanced breakfast helps to up our energy, as well as restock protein and calcium used throughout the night” (bbc.com). Oatmeal, eggs, fruits, tea, and coffee are all widely recommended foods to have for breakfast, so don’t skip the morning meal!

   Another important aspect of creating a routine is scheduling time to exercise. The Mayo Clinic recommends exercising at least 30 minutes every day but upping the time if you’re interested in weight loss or muscle gain (mayoclinic.org). Whether you go for a long walk, a short run, or create your own at-home fitness circuit, don’t forget to schedule an opportunity to work out, especially at this time when we’re not getting our regularly scheduled exercise from sports and such.

   Another vital activity to schedule time for is schoolwork. Apart from having class three days a week 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., you’ll need time to work on the assignments. The amount of time you’ll need is subject to each individual and each day, so rather than trying to schedule a firm amount of time at a set time every day, perhaps set a goal of getting an assignment or two done each day so that you’ve finished all your assignments by the end of the week or by their due date. 

   Now that we’ve covered the morning and afternoon, it’s time to talk about the evening. This time of the day includes eating dinner, relaxing, and getting to bed at a reasonable time (which we decided is 11 p.m.). Business Insider explains that the consensus is to stop eating three hours before bedtime, in order to avoid heartburn and other acid reflux-related issues (businessinsider.com). If your schedule calls for an eleven o’clock bedtime, then try to finish dinner by eight p.m. Another aspect of a nighttime routine is sitting down and relaxing. Whether you put on a good movie, take a relaxing bath, or knock out a couple episodes of Tiger King, this is your time to chill and destress from a long productive day, thanks to your new schedule.

   Senior Sidney Gillum explained, “Having a schedule for me is really important to keep myself busy or entertained during quarantine. I’ve also made it a point to set an alarm to get up at a reasonable time every day so I can make the most of my time and not spend the whole day in bed.”

   While maintaining some sort of schedule is important, it’s also important to remember that this is all subjective and your schedule should be catered to yourself and the goals you set for yourself each day. And with that being said, happy scheduling!