Overview

This article will feature 4 different things you can do every morning and night, that may help you attain better grades, or help build the better you! Things mentioned in this article I have personally researched, and tried. I will only include the top 4 things I heavily recommend! Everyone is encouraged to add one or a few of these things to their day!

Why are routines important?

Having a daily routine, whether it be at day, night, or both, is very beneficial to everyone! The world is becoming very fast-paced, and it is important to make the most of every day. Amazing benefits of routines include reduced stress, they help create consistency, and they keep your days productive and organized! Having consistent, and productive days help boost your mood, knowing you have gotten a lot done! My morning routine is only about 20 minutes long, (because I love sleeping in late) and it wakes me up, and makes me feel more energized and confident throughout the day! 

Did you know that our brains are “programmed” to follow routines? The basal ganglia, and the prefrontal cortex are responsible for remembering motor skills, and creating habits!

I am NOT saying that routines are habits! It is just an amazing thing to have time dedicated and tailored to YOU! You are important, and you need to take care of yourself!

Getting active 

Getting active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym at 5:00 AM, and break a sweat. All I mean is to stretch, maybe take a short walk every once in a while. It doesn’t even have to be in the morning. Remember, your routines and your days are all about you! Multiple studies show that getting active also boosts your sleep quality. So, if you are looking to get a better night of sleep, doing small activities every once in a while will help you! That’s only one benefit, though. There are plenty more to go over, which are listed below.

• Better sleep
• Lower blood pressure
• Concentration
• Disease prevention
• Boosts energy
• Healthy weight

Skin care!

Skin care might seem ironic, but having good products to care for your skin, will help your skin look and feel more healthy, and smooth. When you take good care of your skin, not just on your face, it will help you feel more confident, and helps you prepare for the effects of aging. Cleansing your skin every day, daily moisturizing, weekly exfoliating, and daily sun protection are amazing ways to take better care of your skin. Personally, I wash my face and body 1-2 times a day, I exfoliate my full body once a week, and I moisturize, or apply lotion every day, specifically after every shower! You might be wondering what all these different products are! What is exfoliating? Why do I need to wash my face so much? Why is sun protection so important? Well… I have you covered! 

• Cleansers not only include facial cleansers, but also body soap! They help your body get rid of all the nasty bacteria you accumulated during the day! We all know how nasty school air is… Using body soap on your face can actually promote acne and breakouts! This is because the skin on your face is very sensitive, and some chemicals, or ingredients that are included in body soap, can be detrimental to sensitive skin!
• Exfoliators are scrubs that help cleanse your pores, and remove acne all over your body. Exfoliators boost circulation in your skin, as the scrubbing helps “move” all the blood cells, evening out your skin tone! Having exfoliators are an amazing skin care product.
• Moisturizers can include normal lotion, and facial moisturizer. The difference between facial moisturizer and body lotion is that moisturizer is much more gentle on the skin, because your face is precious, delicate, and overall one of the most sensitive parts of your body!
• Toner is not a necessity, but it also deeply cleans the skin, just like exfoliating. Toner is also amazing because it will deeply cleanse your skin, as in removing lots of bacteria, pollutants, and other impurities that the cleansers may leave behind.

There are obviously more different skin care products, but using these will most definitely be very beneficial to you and your skin! Using skin care products help give your skin that extra glow! 

Journaling!

Journaling once or twice a day has definitely been beneficial to my life, journaling different ideas or just jotting quick ideas down can boost your mood and definitely help you start your day happy and motivated. Some different journal prompts that can help you are..

• Your goals for the future!
• All about you!
• People you love
• Your favorite things
• Motivation / affirmations

Make your pages super colorful, or colors you prefer! It helps take your mind off of negative things, and helps you focus on yourself! I like to journal after school, I like to write about my day, and write down things I am going to do that evening/afternoon, and write them in a checklist. Journaling has definitely helped me with my confidence, as I get to check off boxes throughout the day.

Finish your schoolwork!

If you have late work that still needs to be submitted, it’s okay! You can always use 1-Hour Lunch to finish it, or wait until you are home to get started! I understand how school is for learning, and home is for relaxing; but if you are looking towards a successful school year you definitely need to get those grades up and turn in your work! Just think, think about how you will feel after you’ve finished all of your homework! You might feel accomplished and proud of yourself, you might also find motivation to finish even more work! However, if you are struggling with finding the motivation to do schoolwork, here are some things you can do!

• Think about the grade you’ll get! Please remember that any grade is better than a zero! All that zeros will do is bring the grade down even more!
• Use cute stationary or materials! When I do my assignments, I usually use super cute pens, pencils, and more! Using cute stationary is a must for me because it will help make my notes easier to read, and a lot more enjoyable to take! Doing work is also a lot more enjoyable when using the right materials!

Conclusion

There are so many different things to do when it comes to routines, but always remember that routines do not have to be on the dot! It does not need to be a filled schedule either! Your routine is your time, and time allotted to YOU! Make your day relaxing, as well; it’s not a day without relaxing from time to time!