As humans, we all have certain habits that shape our daily lives—some help us grow, while others hold us back without us even realizing it. For me, one simple habit has genuinely changed my school experience, for the better is planning my day the night before.
Honestly, when I first got to the hostel, I didn’t think much about planning anything. I used to live my life on “I will do it tomorrow morning,” and that mindset stressed me more than I care to admit. I normally have classes as early as 8 a.m. and sometimes, at 9 a.m., and back then, I never prepared anything ahead of time. I wouldn’t iron my clothes, I wouldn’t arrange my books, and I wouldn’t pack the things I needed for the next day. I would just sleep, wake up, and start rushing everything together.
The funny part is that rushing doesn’t even help. It only makes you scatter everything and forget important things. Many mornings, I would wake up and start searching for one shoe while the other shoe was hiding somewhere under the bed. I would be looking for my notebooks, trying to iron clothes in a hurry, and before I knew it, time would be completely gone. I’d still need to bathe, dress up, and sometimes walk or take a bike to class. And by the time I finally got to school, I would already be late.
This wasn’t just a one-time thing—it happened many times. Honestly, it was embarrassing. There were days I got to class, and the lecturer didn’t even allow latecomers inside. That moment when you’re standing at the door and the lecturer says, “You can’t enter, go back,” is one of the worst feelings ever. You start asking yourself, “How did I mess up something as simple as getting ready on time?”
That was when I realized I needed to do better. I looked at my routine and noticed that the problem wasn’t that I was lazy or slow in the morning—it was simply that I failed to prepare. So I made a decision to start planning my day the night before. It sounded easy, but it took discipline to turn it into a habit.
I started small. Every night before sleeping, I would iron the clothes I wanted to wear. I would pack my books, put everything I needed in my bag, and even arrange my shoes so that I could just slip into them in the morning. This tiny change made a huge difference.
Since I started preparing my things ahead of time, my mornings have been smoother. I no longer rush or panic. I get ready faster, I leave the hostel earlier, and I now get to class on time. In fact, this habit has saved me from being sent out of class because I rarely go late anymore.
It’s funny how one small habit can change so much, but that’s exactly what planning the night before has done for me. It has made me more organized, less stressed, and more responsible. Looking back, I wish I had started this habit earlier. But even now, I’m grateful for the difference it has made in my life.
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