Sometimes, it seems as though life has it out for students. Everyone gets overwhelmed with school, sports, and friends. Let’s face it: students need a break!

Although some issues can’t be fixed as easily, there are some things you can do to ease the hardships of life. So, here’s a list of six life hacks that can brighten your day and make life easier. 

Set Clothes Out the Night Before. By setting your clothes out the night before school or an important event, you can get that extra five minutes of sleep and not be stressed trying to find the shirt you could have sworn was hanging in your closet.

Have an on-hand study playlist. There are several free music apps out there (such as Spotify, SoundCloud, and Pandora), that allow users to make their own personalized playlists. By having a set study playlist, you can turn those tunes on and be in the zone. This minimizes distractions and helps you focus. 

Turn the TV Off. You may be thinking, Why? I watch TV and get my work done at the same time. Well, even if you are part of the 2% of people who can multitask, trying to multitask while doing homework causes more stress and frustration.

According to a study done by Oxford Learning, watching TV while doing homework “can [make you] slip up to half a letter grade.” So, just turn the TV off and tune into your education.

Drink Water. Wake up. Drink water. Bored? Drink water. Stressed out? Drink water. Drinking water clears your skin, gives you energy, and kicks your brain into gear to have a happy, positive day.

Turn the Phone Off. Turning off your phone when you’re working on homework leads to several benefits, like minimizing distractions. This enables you to focus on other things that are more important. Letting go of the Internet for a while isn’t the worst thing that could happen– while getting a zero on that big assignment you were supposed to be working on could definitely be.

Now that you know some simple life hacks to make what seems to be a stressful life a little easier, use them to the best of your ability.

We are all unique, and approach difficult situations differently. Some of these might not work for you, but try them and find what does! Just make sure you are happy and healthy.