20 Helpful University Life Hacks

Life is busy enough without adding disorganized chaos to the daily struggle. Tap into these useful tips to stay on top of university life and make your week a bit breezier in the process.

A stack of notebooks and papers that all look the same makes searching for specific subjects take much longer. Colour code books and use colour coded highlighters and pens to make finding things faster.
Make a sleep and wake schedule and stick to it as much as possible. Routine will quickly make getting to classes or studies a habit, even if it’s just in the next room.
Set your computer schedule as your home page so you know what’s ahead each day.
Make time for 10- to 20-minute daily meditations. Give your weary brain a much-needed break in between courses and you will be refreshed and ready for your next lesson.
Forget time-consuming list writing and start snapping shots of what you require with your phone. Need groceries? Take a picture of what’s in your fridge and pantry so you know what to shop for. Need bathroom items? Take a picture of what’s on the shelves so you know what needs restocking.
Keep a decorative container handy for storing spare change that seems to migrate all over the apartment. Before you know it you’ll have enough cash for a large pizza take-out for a Friday night nosh.
If you’re sharing a kitchen with a roommate and are always fighting over who gets to use the microwave first, fight no more. Place one bowl on top of a mug beside the other and reheat your dinners worry-free at the same time.
Want a decadent treat but lack the money to indulge? Quit feeling deprived as there are plenty of desserts that can be magically made in a mug in your microwave for rewarding yourself for acing that exam!
A brilliant hack for saving space when closet space is at a premium is to hook pop can tabs onto your hangers and double up on clothes hanging. Voila—now you can buy more tops your next Value Village visit!
Buy cool patterns of decorative tape as an affordable framing alternative for all your snaps and motivational quotes. Washi tape is made of bamboo or hemp and comes in endless colours and prints to make your study space more inspiring.
If you don’t have the luxury of a big screen TV, that’s no reason you can’t mount your iPad and enjoy a favourite Netflix show. 3M hooks provide cheap but sturdy mounts to watch your movies hands free. And—relax!
Put off by expensive, toxic cleaners? Make your own eco-friendly vinegar cleaner at home. First, buy a large size, no-name white vinegar and boil some water; let cool. Add half vinegar, half water into a cleaned old spray bottle (recycling at its best). Next, add 10-20 drops of your favourite essential oils. Orange and lemon are excellent scents for cleaning. Spray and wipe counters and mirrors worry-free.
Oh no—did your roomy forget to put the beer in the fridge? No one likes warm beer! Simply cover a bottle in wet paper towel, store in the freezer for 15 minutes, and enjoy an ice cold beverage while pondering your next assignment.
This hack works great for people who procrastinate over reading. Instead of putting it off, place a candy or some other treat at the end of each section or after a certain number of pages to trick you into reading. No cheating.
When you have a large amount of reading to complete online, ease your eyes by magnifying the font.
Also give your aching back a break from packing heavy books or lap tops in shoulder bags by sticking to backpacks. They distribute the weight evenly and won’t strain one side over the other when you wear them properly.
Many people struggle with enough kitchen space to prepare healthy meals for sharp brains. Simply place a large cutting board on top of an open drawer and there you go—instant extra work space for chopping and placing kitchen gadgets while cooking.
Instead of storing and folding clothing vertically, store them horizontally in drawers so you can easily see what you’re searching for from above.
Use binder clips for keeping cords and chargers organized by clipping them to a desk and popping the ends through the clip handles. No more tangles.
Tired of your pasta boiling over on the stove top? Two tricks to prevent these irritating boil-overs are to blow over top of the rising bubbles and place a wooden spoon across the pot. Give it a try!