Some people laugh when I say I'm in bed by ten every 'school' night, but the same people also don't understand how I'm so chill and organised under deadline pressure and other similar stresses. The tip, my dears, is routine. Well actually it's knowing what your body likes, and mine likes routine.
One of my most hated things is being rushed. I don't like being rushed at all and if you tell me we're going out at 9 when it's already 8.30 without any previous warning all things go downhill and my mood instantly switches. I'm flustered and annoyed and usually end up in tears or poking myself in the eye with my mascara wand also resulting in tears. But that doesn't mean I can't handle stressful situations and big deadlines.
I NEED 8 HOURS A NIGHT TO SURVIVE, SO I MAKE SURE I GET IT.
I'm in bed by 10 each night so I know I'll be asleep by 10.30-11pm, therefore, letting me get at least 8 hours sleep before my alarm goes off at 7am. This included the weeks I was working on my final year major project for university. One of my friends actually commended me for being able to do that and still get everything done. Frankly, I knew that if I stayed up any longer I wouldn't get as much work done as I would think and spending that time refreshing myself with sleep was a better option for my time. And team, I still got that first.
HOW DO YOU GET OUT OF BED AT 7AM EVERY DAY? NO SNOOZE?
Because that's what I'm used to, plus my morning routine is essentially scheduled so that everything gets done in time for me to leave. Then I'm not flustered because I spent that extra 10 minutes in bed and now I have to leave for work but I haven't brushed my teeth yet. If I do end up flustered then everything just takes longer and things go wrong so it's just easier for me to hop out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off.
BUT WHAT ABOUT STRESSFUL SITUATIONS?
I was getting to that. If parts of my life are organised then I'm more likely to be calmer when the unexpected happens. While I'm not saying the unorganised person can't handle it, I personally can't - that's from experience. Making sure I get 8 hours of sleep a night means when deadlines roll around I'm fully awake and less likely to get flustered because my flustered bar is much higher than it would be if I was running on 5 hours.
Organising parts of my life and making sure things get done when they need to get done means I can leave work at 5pm every day knowing that I'm going to hit my deadlines instead of working overtime stressing that I'm going to miss them.
SO THAT'S IT?
That's it, my main point of advice for getting a hold on life is get to know how your own body works and what it needs to function properly. Do that, and then you're on your way! It may not necessarily be routine or getting 8 hours sleep a night as that's just me, but figuring out now will help a lot when it comes to stressful deadlines.
