Four Habits to Kick Before Graduation Day

There is a certain release that you feel after your final exam which is incomparable to any other sensation you will feel till the day you die.

The freedom to decide where you actually want to live, what you want to fill your days with and whom you want to spend them with, is a freedom which only comes around a few times in your life.

That freedom is so powerful you can feel it in your fingertips, yet there are some pesky habits you should break before summer is over and the nine-to-five slog is upon you.

Forgetting to set an alarm

9 am lectures: you either love them or hate them; make them or skip them; relish in them or ignore them. For the college population that made them came one-to-one attention with an expert in their field; for those who didn’t came a panic at the end of the term when you realised you prioritised that extra jager-bomb over your education.

The real adult world doesn’t have the option of skipping a lecture. If you have a job, then be grateful for it and make sure that you set that morning alarm to not only make it to work on time, but to make it dressed, showered and fed. Maybe even leaving time to check the news on the way.

If you don’t have a job and you’re frantically searching the job lists, then the early bird catches the worm. Sure, enjoy a lie in once in a while, but keep a routine and you will be grateful. Try to get up, get some exercise and get applying. Then you can give yourself some time where you can turn off from the job hunt and actually spend time with your loved ones.

Leaving it to the last minute

Now, all-nighters are unfortunately not left behind at university. There will be big deals and there will be late nights in the office, but there will also be the chance to start again with your organisation.

We all know that person at university who seemed to have it together. They looked calm and collected. They had done the reading for the lecture and had a printed copy of their essay ready to hand in days before the deadline. They looked like their life was a lot simpler.

If you want to be that person: invest in a dairy, fall in love with to-do lists and learn to prioritise. Maybe even get some different coloured high lighters so urgent tasks get done first.

Not looking after yourself

You, and only you, should be your priority. If you don’t look after yourself then you won’t be performing on all cylinders for very long. Try to get eight hours sleep every night. If you’re struggling to get to sleep, incorporate a walk into your commute, turn your phone off an hour before bed and try some chamomile tea or a hot bath.

Second thing to remember is to eat well. University is an easy excuse to eat unhealthily: cheesy chips every night, beers after lectures, take away pizza because there is a deadline coming up.

Scrap that mentality and invest in a wok. It takes less time to make your dinner than it takes to choose your pizza toppings. Put together a quick salad or stir fry, cook some meat or fish in the George Forman, and bung a potato in the microwave. Genuinely it will be pinging long before the delivery man would have arrived.

Remember breakfast and lunch too.

Dressing like a slob

Lectures and libraries in exam term could be mistaken for a slumber party, bar the serious lack of ‘Legally Blond’ and popcorn. Pyjamas are not acceptable outside after university, trackies are strictly for the weekend and leggings and a hoody probably won’t cut it in the boardroom.

Invest in some outfits that show the world the person you want them to see. This doesn’t have to be a suit and it doesn’t have to be expensive, it doesn’t even have to be new, it should just suit the environment you are working in and make you feel a million dollars.

Don’t stand out for the wrong reason.

Leaving behind university can be tough and making the big step into the adult world can be daunting. Despite that, these quick changes will leave you making a far better, and more sustainable, impression.

Don’t worry though, not everything changes post-university. Never forget what you wanted to achieve with your life the day you graduated. Remember that networking is just as important and can be done doing things you enjoy – that talent at ping-pong is actually really helpful for work nights at Bounce. Finally, hard work pays off just as much post-university as those days spent in the library.

Now for those thinking that lie-ins and cheesy chips are going to be far too hard to leave behind – what do you think weekends are for 😉

Happy graduation guys – enjoy celebrating!

Eleanor Booth is a Cambridge Graduate who likes taking on the big issues and players. Check out her personal blog here and her LinkedIn here. 

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