The Ultimate Survival Guide: Tips and Tricks to Get through the Prime of Your Youth

Oriel Dsilva 24ACAB40 (Member of Writers' Association), Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous

Eighteen to Twenty-One are the most crucial years of your life that either make or break your character for the rest of your life until you hit a mid-life crisis that alters your brain chemistry. Luckily, I'm here to save you from that.

Here's a note-to-note on what can be the source of your optimism and courage to get you through college. I've only been doing this for a few months, but I'll try my best.

Your NO. 1 SUPPORTER will be Spotify Premium! Trust me, invest in the premium; the student discount will get you an excellent deal, and a family pack of 6 students will be even cheaper. That's what I do! Make playlists for everything: your morning routine, workout sessions, a walk, reading through your study material, or cleaning up your room; it works for anything and boosts your mood to the next level, even for the simplest things.

Next up is Notion Dekstop. This simple planner app has all your upcoming events, to-do lists, plans, and reminders sorted into one place according to whatever category you want to classify them in. Now, I have one for college, another for events and plans outside of college, and a personal one that helps with my goals.

Also, being KJC students with the threat of attendance hanging over their heads, it can be convenient to track your attendance with the help of an app.

Another great way to feel organized and vent when overwhelmed with everything is to download a quick note journal or carry one around. It can be a small notebook with only the most essential information required and can also be used to write down your thoughts as they run.

It's the digital age, and these tools can help you out so much in your daily life without completely consuming your time, like watching reels endlessly on Instagram Instagram.

Let's talk about surviving all-nighters. This particular sequence is nearly guaranteed to make you stay up ALL night and complete your studies or projects within your deadline.

The Ultimate Power Nap and Coffee Combo So, here's the thing: We usually drink coffee to stay awake, but the caffeine takes 20 minutes to kick in. The best thing you can do during this time is to take a quick power nap to boost your energy even more. Make sure to keep more than a couple of alarms, though!

Keep some fruits, snacks, or anything you prefer for quick bites because I tend to get hungry. If I don’t have something handy, I can’t focus on anything else, which would defeat the purpose.

Another thing that could help is to find someone to keep you company, someone who's in the same situation as you and has the same goal. This way, you don't feel as depressed doing it alone, and even if it is depressing, at least two can laugh about it.

The basic idea is to make yourself comfortable enough to want to stay up all night. You could stay up all night due to discomfort, too, but that would be demotivating when you have a higher purpose.

College life builds you up. It's not just about studying and passing; it's the part of your life where you LEARN how to thrive without someone holding you by a leash and pulling you forward. Of course, this won't happen unless you want it to. You would be your life coach, making your daily routine, being your disciplinarian, and reacting to how you act in a way that helps you. It matters a lot.

All of you will consider it as necessary as it is. For some, being organized and living alone come quickly and easily, but for others who are messy, like me, this would be extremely helpful, I promise you.

Happy Adulting Kids!