To run an effective organization, you need to make sure all of your tools are well-cared for, and your most powerful tool…is you. Practice active self-care!
- Get a full night’s sleep. This is the only time when your brain can actively recharge and store useful information. When you don’t sleep well, you become much more likely to be forgetful, accomplish work at a slower rate and at a lower quality, and make mistakes.
- Cut back on coffee. Coffee does not actually boost your productivity, and the caffeine takes so long to break down in your system that it can take you longer to get to sleep at night…even if you only drink it in the morning. If you want to be more productive and make fewer mistakes, don’t drink more coffee, get more sleep.
- Eat healthy foods: Ramen may be fast but it’s not an effective source of the nutrients you need to do your best.
- Practice good hygiene. This may seem like it shouldn’t apply, but it does: people who shower, do their laundry, and wash their hands frequently tend not to get sick as often as those who don’t. When you aren’t sick, you can keep on doing what you came to college to do, so remember: wash your sheets, clothes, and towels, and shower at least a couple times a week!
- Forgive yourself. Don’t beat yourself up about the things that haven’t gone well for you this week. Take them as notes for the future, and move on. Just remember: what’s in the past is in the past, and you can’t do anything to change those things now. Instead, focus on what you can do better the next time around.