News Editor Charlsea Lamb plans out the most efficient and healthiest day possible at Hockaday based on “Hack Your Routine to Make Every Hour Count”by Holly Pevzner in Psychology Today
6:30 A.M. WAKE UP!
7 A.M. DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST
Eating breakfast within two hours of waking up is ideal because that is when the body’s metabolism is the fastest. So, the food you eat in the morning will be used more effectively and give you lots of energy. Try starting the day off with a bowl of oatmeal with honey, fruit and nuts. Another good option is Greek yogurt with berries on top. If you are in a rush, spread a spoonful of almond butter on top of whole wheat bread. Try to avoid the typical cereal and milk combination—cereal tends to be high in sugar and won’t give you the necessary amount of fuel for the day ahead.
7:30 A.M. GO FOR A RUN!
8:15 A.M. CHECK OUTLOOK
Try to form a habit of sending and checking emails in the morning before advisory. Emails sent before 10 a.m. are much more likely to get read than emails sent close to lunch time or after. In other words, the earlier the email is sent, the earlier you will get a reply. Checking your email before school starts also ensures that you won’t miss any activities or memos for the day. The next time to check your email should be at around 5 p.m.
9:50 A.M. BREAK TIME!
This is the perfect time to take a break and relax before your next class. During advisory, do something to relieve stress like talk with your friends, play Trivia Crack or check Twitter. Try to avoid doing homework because the brain needs time to process and retain the information you just learned in the previous class. Also, don’t forget to grab a snack from one of the fruit baskets in the hallway. Bananas will fill you up so you aren’t hungry before lunchtime. The vitamins in oranges fight infections and improve vision. Apples whiten your teeth, lessen your risk of cancer and boost your immune system.
NOON LUNCH
3 P.M. SCHEDULE A MEETING
Tuesday at 3 p.m. is the best time to have a meeting. Monday is too soon to meet because everyone is tired from the weekend, and any day after Tuesday becomes busy with homework and other activities. Meeting at 3 p.m. is the ideal hour because it allows students or teachers to prepare for the meeting earlier in the day, and it also falls during Y period, which most girls have free. Make sure to have an agenda for the meeting and have a time set for the next meeting so all members can plan ahead.
4 P.M. HAVE A SNACK
4:45 P.M. THINK TANK
Creative thinking is highest when we are tired or run-down, which, for students, is after school between the hours of 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. When we are tired, our brains forget to filter thoughts into what is applicable and not applicable. When this happens, the material our brains consider “not applicable” to the situation actually leads to new ways of processing and fresh ideas. Try using this time to do homework, study for an upcoming test or brainstorm ideas for an upcoming paper or project.
7 P.M. DINNER
8:30 P.M. RELAX IN A BATH
Increasing your body temperature right before bed will help you fall asleep faster. The immediate cool period after you get out of a bath relaxes you and prepares the body for rest. Soak in a tub with very hot water for at least 15 minutes. Also, try placing a scented candle at the edge of the tub. Sleep-inducing scents include lavender, jasmine, vanilla and chamomile. The scents will reduce stress, which prepares the body for sleep. Although you may enjoy showers better, try switching to baths for a couple of days and see if you have deeper sleep.
9 P.M. BE SOCIAL
10:30 P.M. BEDTIME
Set out your uniform and pack-up your backpack to save time in the morning. Log off of social media or stop watching TV at least one hour before bed. Try reading close to bedtime in order to slow brain activity and send signals to your body that it’s time to sleep. Aim to get seven or eight hours of sleep every night. Although this may be a hard habit to form, it will increase your health and increase brain function during the day. The more you sleep, the better your day will be tomorrow.
-Charlsea Lamb
