SchoolisHard

The second half of a [man]’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881)

Quit doing things like you are dumb, because you aren’t. The foundation of a happy adult life is built on good habits. Many of the good habits you develop during your school years will stick for the rest of your life.

Wash your dishes right after you finish eating.

Quit letting them pile up! They stink and look awful.

Have something you can read or work on when you might have to wait.

You never know when you’ll have to wait before a class, for a meeting etc.

Start fewer sentences with “I”.

You’ll be much more well-liked and people will listen to you more.

Keep a journal of any kind.

It doesn’t matter whether it is a small spiral notebook or a full-blown weblog. Our memories aren’t as good as we think they are. Write down not only daily happenings, but also the little bits of inspiration that come to you throughout the day.

Don’t cross the street to avoid acquaintances.

Will it kill you to chat for 5 minutes? We have so little time on this world. There is no reason to avoid talking to somebody if you are on good terms with them.

Learn something new about yourself every week.

The people who say “learn something every day” have the right idea, but let me ask you a question. Is it better to learn 7 symbols from the periodic table or to finally discover that you really like oranges? The better you know yourself, the easier learning all that other stuff will be.

When otherwise wasting time on the computer, try to make yourself type correctly.

Over time, you’ll get so good at it that you’ll wonder how you managed with hunting and pecking.

Wear sunscreen.

Remember that song from a few years back? He wasn’t kidding.

Go to bed as early as you can, every night.

I like Benjamin Franklin quite a bit, if you can’t tell.

Eat breakfast. Every day.

Faster metabolism, more alertness, etc. No reason to beat this into the ground. Even if it is just a granola bar, grab something before you head out.

Take a shower. Every day.

No, a spritz of Dolce and Gabbana before you dance out the door doesn’t count. Use soap or body wash and warm water for at least 5 minutes. Don’t be the stinky kid.

Cut and clean your nails.

This is mostly targeting guys. If you work on cars all the time, you might have some trouble here, but do your best. You can tell a lot about a person by how their nails look.

Brush and floss your teeth after breakfast and before bed.

YES, you have to floss, too! I also recommend investing in a cheap tongue scraper. It’ll only cost you a buck to have nice, fresh breath.

Remember the apple a day thing? Do it.

One is just barely cutting it, too. Even if you hate fruit with a passion, make yourself choke some down every day.

Flush public toilets.

Even if you have to use your foot, just do it. It’s only fair.

Wash your hands.

A study I read showed that 60% of men don’t wash their hands after urinating. I think we can do better, gents. It didn’t say anything about women, so I’ll just pretend that they are being little hygiene pixies.

Walk a little bit faster.

If you are consistently late to things or just can’t find time to get to the gym, maybe it’d be a good idea to pick up the pace.

Walk a little bit slower.

If you are always early or just feel consistently harried by time throughout your day, try relaxing your tempo a bit. Your heart rate will slow down and you’ll feel much more calm.

Study a little bit as often as you can.

There’s no reason to say the same “study a little bit every day”. Not all students have the need or desire to do this. Instead, try to get to the point where you are studying ANY the week before a test.

Talk to a family member once a week.

It doesn’t have to be your parents or siblings; any family member is fine. When you have nobody else to turn to and it feels like all of your friends have left you, your family will always be there to pick up the pieces.