As students, we struggle to do a lot of things. Get enough sleep, eat properly, put on clean clothes in the morning, the list goes on and on. Feeling good should be our priority, but when it can’t be, what do we do?

Prioritize responsibilities

When you write down your to-do list, is the first thing you do also the first thing you wrote down? That might not pay off in the long run. The fact is that some things just need to get done before you can start something else.

For example, if you’re like me, you have several papers due this week, as well as several tests, and that’s in addition to your multiple jobs and normally assigned readings and other homework.

How do you choose what comes first? Well, you must first think about what’s literally due first. You should also consider what you’re best at. For me, I’m better at writing papers than studying and taking tests. Assume that each activity will take you at least three hours to accomplish well.

After looking at your list and prioritizing what you need to do and when you need to do it, decide to complete one to two of these large tasks each day. Break it down into chunks of things to get done, instead of doing a little bit of each every day, which will help your brain retain the information you work on.

An added bonus is that you’ll feel good about accomplishing one or two big tasks at the end of the day, and if there’s time (because sleep really is important) you may even find you can accomplish a couple small tasks too.

Purchase easily prepared food

Skip the bourgeoisie recipes and the hours of cooking and take a look at things that are quick and easy. No, you won’t have to sacrifice healthful eating to do this.

Some of my personal favorites to stick to are raw fruits and veggies like apples, oranges, carrots, peaches etc. Essentially, buy food that requires little or no preparation in order to be eaten.

However, I also like a hot meal.

In this case, some of my personal favorites are squashes, of any variety, though I do prefer butternut and spaghetti squash. These are super easy because to cook them, just cut them into two to six pieces, rub a bit of oil on them and bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40-60 minutes.

Squashes are really perfect for when you get home and you know you have to clean your room or have other chores but you also know you need to eat. All your tiny tasks can be accomplished while the squash cooks, and then you have a hot and ready meal and leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Sweet potatoes are pretty much like squash in terms of cooking, but a little more versatile as they can also be used as a potato substitute.

Otherwise, Aldi’s sells this really great frozen stir-fry mix complete with vegetables, chicken and sauce that makes about two to three servings and takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Keep your bed made all the time

No, I do not make my bed every morning. Why? Because it’s already pretty much made when I wake up.

Act like a hotel housekeeper and tuck both your sheet and your comforter underneath the end of your mattress. This makes sure that your blanket will always be in the right place when you wake up, not tangled around your feet, which makes keeping your bed made easy.

It also means that the demons and scary monsters under your bed or in your closet can’t get to your feet while you sleep. It’s important.

Just say f— it

Let’s be real, nobody actually cares what you look like unless it’s required for your job or your class. So if you have those days where you just can’t put on real pants, go rock those sweatpants that may or may not be three to five sizes too big.

If you’re literally falling asleep over your books before bed, and you think you have to shower before you can sleep, guess what, you don’t. Don’t get me wrong. Please shower. People do care if you smell, but skipping one shower in favor of much needed sleep won’t kill you or the kid next to you in class the next day.

But really, shower at least three times a week. That’s like, the minimum.

Did you fall asleep with your makeup still on? Guess what, it’s a smoky eye today. Grab a makeup remover wipe, clear the mascara out from the creases underneath your eyes, grab a brush (or your finger) and blend the now smudged mascara covering your eyelid until it looks kind of presentable. Throw on some fresh mascara and go rock your day.

Take a breath

No, nobody is looking at you, nobody knows that you didn’t shower last night or that you haven’t slept in three days (another benefit of the smoky eye) or that you’ve eaten squash four days in a row. (How do you still have squash in your fridge?)

You’re okay, or at least you will be okay. Take a breath and remember that.