25 Hours in a Day – Making Time for Everything

U of T Time Me: "Where are you? We're going to be late!" My friend: "Doesn't it start at 2:10pm?" Me: "EXAMS DON'T RUN ON U of T TIME!" (we barely made it, you can exhale now) In the beginning of first year, I would always arrive to a class early if it only started 10 past the hour. This ensured:

• front and centre seats
• time to breathe after speed-walking across campus

As the semester progressed, I found it less necessary to sprint to class and would arrive just as lecture began. Mostly because halfway through a semester, people usually sit in the same seat every class. Time spent waiting for a class to start could be used to grab caffeine or to linger awhile longer in the dining hall. Buffer Time Having three classes back-to-back is not fun (especially around lunch time). Even if the buildings are next to each other, I found myself feeling drained after the first two hours of lecture. This year, I've made sure to have at most two hours back-to-back and that I have a break at lunch to refuel and do some work in between classes.

I grew accustomed to wolfing down hot meals when they were served at 4:45pm and then bolting to my 5pm classes (10/10 would NOT recommend). Sweat Time

If I wasn't on the Novice Rowing Team in first year, I don't think I would've exercised as much (or at all). Rowing six times a week took a lot of time out of my day but it was definitely time well spent. When it's 6am and you're on a boat in the middle of Lake Ontario, there's no thinking about the essay that's due at noon or the final exam you haven't started studying for - it's just you and the water. I personally feel 110% better after working out, so instead of lounging around and wasting time when I can't focus on school, I try to break a sweat! Socializing Time

Living on residence, it wasn't hard to specifically carve out time in my schedule for friends because we were always around each other - in the cafeteria, working on homework in someone's common room at night or taking more Netflix and dumpling breaks than we probably deserved. Having moved off residence, I'll definitely still make trips to hang out with my friends who are still on residence.

Rest Time "While everyone is sacrificing sleep to get ahead of the game, sleep to actually get ahead of the game" - Adrian Carpenter a.k.a. MAT157 Genius 2018. I have never successfully functioned after an all-nighter, so I avoid them. Sleep > grades has been my motto so far and I think it's a healthy habit that I should stick to. This year, I've be planning and checking-in weekly with a learning strategist at the Academic Success Centre to help me juggle school, athletics and my free time. Check out Simrit's blogpost on minimizing stress through planning! Happy Organizing!