Not sure how to structure your daily routines during high school? You’ve come to the right place. I love to stay organized, and having a predetermined routine helps me stay productive and efficient on most days.
Of course, you’re not obligated to follow a routine – some people are more productive without one! Therefore, the routine in this post is just for reference, and you can change it in any way you’d like before adopting it (if you choose to). Let’s take a look!
Context: My High School Life
During my high school career, I had different schedules for different days. This was because of my commitment to various activities like sports and clubs.
In high school, I was a part of the marching band and several clubs. Marching band practice took place every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Club meetings were during lunch or after school, lasting 30-60 minutes.
Therefore, it’s impossible for me to show you a single, comprehensive, daily routine. Instead, I’ve listed out my routine on the “normal” days– when I go to school and don’t have after-school practice.
My Goal In My Routine
At the start of high school, I tended to love doing a little bit of everything. This meant that I was often distracted and unable to completely finish a project to a level of satisfaction. I also started staying up later and later, because I had to catch up on homework.
After the freshman year of high school, though it wasn’t a difficult year, I realized I needed to build and follow a better routine. And I had a few goals in mind:
- Getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
- Never having to rush important assignments/projects.
- Enjoying time with friends or alone every week.
It boiled down to minimizing time spent on entertainment like Netflix and YouTube, and maximizing efficiency while doing work; this helped me structure my routine.
My Daily Routine (Simplified)
7:30 AM – Wake up
7:35 AM – Wash up / get dressed
7:45 AM – Do makeup
7:50 AM – Make breakfast
8:00 AM – Eat breakfast
8:10 AM – Leave for school
8:28 AM – Get to class
8:30 AM – School
3:10 PM – Go to the library
4:30 PM – Leave for home
4:35 PM – Reach home
4:45 PM – Homework
6:30 PM – Make/eat dinner
7:30 PM – Go for a walk
7:45 PM – Homework
8:45 PM – Blog work
9:15 PM – Prepare for the next day
9:20 PM – Exercise/stretch
9:50 PM – Shower
10:15 PM – Read
10:30 PM – Journal
10:45 PM – Choose an outfit
10:50 PM – Wash up
11:10 PM – Go to bed
11:30 PM – Sleep
My Daily Routine (Detailed)
7:30 AM – Wake up
I usually set 2 alarms for the morning– the first to wake me up, and the second to remind me to get out of bed. I recently started using an app called AutoSleep, which is a smart sleep tracker and alarm that wakes you up at the best time based on your sleeping patterns.
- AutoSleep (App)
7:35 AM – Wash up / get dressed
After getting out of bed, I brush my teeth, wash my face (I just use water to cleanse my face, then I put on moisturizer/sunscreen), brush my hair, and use the bathroom. I always pick outfits the night before, so getting dressed takes less than five minutes.
7:45 AM – Do makeup
My makeup routine for school is very simple– a light base to correct my skin, eyebrows, mascara, blush, and lip gloss. I usually listen to music or a podcast at the same time.
- Up First (Podcast)
7:50 AM – Make breakfast
My breakfast tends to be very simple as well, usually taking less than 10 minutes to make. For example: toasted bagel and cream cheese; fried egg, tomatoes, and sausages; cereal.
I’m not a coffee person, so I usually just drink a cup of water in the morning. I also make sure to fill my water bottle in the morning so I can stay hydrated at school.
8:00 AM – Eat breakfast
While I eat, I like to check my emails and social media. I always have notifications on for emails, so I can scroll through the notifications quickly to spot any important ones.
8:10 AM – Leave for school
Depending on whether you drive or not, you may leave earlier/later for school (to get to a parking spot). Also, note the traffic before school starts– give yourself ample time to get to class!
8:28 AM – Get to class
If I get to school early, I may go to the library to print some papers, get some work done, etc.
8:30 AM – School
No matter how I’m feeling in the morning, I always try to maintain a positive attitude during the school day; I find it much easier to feel at ease with classmates and friends when I myself am welcoming.
During class, I make an effort to pay attention and take good notes. If I have questions, I try to ask my teacher so that I don’t leave the class confused.
When I receive new assignments, I put them immediately on my computer. I use digital sticky notes on my desktop home screen to keep track of everything; I also put important deadlines into my digital calendar.
- Notability (App)
- MacBook Pro
- iPad Air
YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: 7 Lessons For Academic Success In High School
3:10 PM – Go to the library
After school, I go to the library to get work done and avoid the after-school traffic. During my study time, I like to stay focused by listening to music. Usually, I listen to LoFi, soft jazz, Studio Ghibli, or classical music.
4:30 PM – Leave for home
4:35 PM – Reach home
Once I get home, I like to grab a snack and relax (go on my phone) for a few minutes. If I’m really tired, I’ll take a 15-30 minute nap. If this happens, I make sure to set several alarms to avoid sleeping for too long.
4:50 PM – Homework
I always try to follow a to-do list while doing homework. Usually, I simply transfer the assignments from my digital sticky notes onto a to-do list (such as Todoist), sorted based on factors like urgency and time needed to complete.
While I’m working, I make sure to turn on Focus mode on my iPhone so I don’t receive unnecessary notifications that distract me. If you have an iPhone, consider customizing your Work focus to minimize distractions.
Sometimes, I work in a study group or with my friend(s) to complete homework. This may be in-person (at a library or coffee shop) or virtually (on FaceTime or Discord). In my experience, groups are extremely helpful when studying for an upcoming exam or working on long and difficult assignments.
YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: How To Effectively Remember Everything You Study
6:30 PM – Make/eat dinner
7:30 PM – Go for a walk
After dinner, I go out for a quick walk to help digest my food and get a breath of fresh air. Seeing nature helps relieve stress and regain concentration, so I try to go outside every day, even if I’m super busy.
Sometimes while walking, I’ll review the day’s work and make mental to-do lists for the rest of the night. Other times, I try not to think about work at all and just enjoy the nature around me.
7:45 PM – Homework
I follow my to-do list as best as I can, and if I can’t complete everything on the list, I’ll schedule it for the next possible date. I avoid procrastinating, especially for large projects that take a couple of hours (or more) to finish.
8:45 PM – Blog work
If I have time after schoolwork, I’ll work on my blog (the one you’re reading right now!). I usually write new posts on weekends, since they take a few hours to create. During the week, I’ll create social media posts, respond to emails, work on new products, etc.
9:15 PM – Prepare for the next day
After my work is done, I prepare for the next day. This includes plugging in my laptop and/or iPad to charge, packing the right papers and books for the next day’s classes, and picking out the next day’s outfit.
9:25 PM – Exercise/stretch
After a day of sitting, I like to do some exercises to loosen up my body. If I feel that I have enough time before bed (since the time that it takes to complete all my work varies by day), I will go to the gym and do some workouts.
If I’m in a rush to get to bed, I’ll do some short exercises at home, usually following along YouTube videos. I always end with stretches to cool down.
9:50 PM – Shower
10:15 PM – Read
One of my yearly goals is to read for at least 15 minutes every day. It’s much easier to reach this goal after building the habit into my routine.
10:35 PM – Journal
Each night, I journal about whatever’s on my mind. This may be a review of the day, what I’m looking forward to the next day, something I learned this day, a rant, an existential crisis…
10:45 PM – Wash up
Before bed, I brush my teeth, wash my face (I first remove my makeup, then use a cleanser, a serum, and finally a sleeping mask and lip mask), brush my hair, and use the bathroom. Sound familiar? Yup, in simplicity, my night routine differs from my morning routine only in the skincare.
My skincare routine differs by day. Every other few days, I complete a more extensive routine: I remove makeup, use a gentle cleanser, exfoliate, wear a clay mask, use serum, put on a sleeping mask, then finally a lip mask. Sometimes, I’ll put on a sheet mask before serum as well.
- Farmacy makeup removing balm
- CeraVe facial cleanser
- The Ordinary serum
- Laneige Cica sleeping mask
- Lucas’ Papaw Ointment (lip mask)
11:10 PM – Go to bed
I must admit, I have the bad habit of scrolling through social media in bed. Once I’m under my blankets, I go through my email one more time, and go on Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc… for about 20 minutes.
I try to limit this screen time by setting an alarm for 11:30 PM to remind me to get off my phone and go to sleep. (Setting an alarm to sleep– how ironic!) If this doesn’t work for you, put away your phone as soon as you get into bed, and go straight to sleep.
11:30 PM – Sleep
If I’ve been struggling to sleep due to stress or other reasons, I’ll take a supplement of melatonin. However, this is not a habit of mine; I typically just put on a sleep meditation (or two) on Balance and drift off to it.
- Melatonin gummies
- Balance (App)
Conclusion
And that’s it! Of course, my daily routine does not always follow this exact structure; yours doesn’t have to, either! Build your own routine after examining your habits and goals, and you can start being productive.
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