A new semester has arrived. Pull out your backpack from underneath your bed and empty out the mess from the fall semester. It needs to be forgotten. Reality is back, and so is denial.

Starting a new semester can be an opportunity to reinvent yourself and begin a new routine that will be given up by the third week. Instead of being overly optimistic about the new semester, do not set your expectations too high. Here are six realistic tips for the average, lazy procrastinator.

Buy your books ASAP

We somehow end up doing it every year: waiting till the last minute to purchase books. Having to wait in a line of irritated students that extends out of the bookstore is not a good time. You are carrying five heavy books, standing in the same spot and wondering why the line has not moved. Avoid this by either getting to the bookstore a week before classes begin or arrive early, in the a.m., before the crowd.

Review the course syllabus

Log back into your Moodle account that you have been pretending does not exist. Although seeing emails from your future professors linking to their syllabuses may cause your heart to beat out of your chest, clicking on those links and seeing what is in store for the new semester can help you prepare. Some professors send welcoming emails, and others will send intimidating lists of what to expect. Either way, professors will provide everything you need to prepare prior to the first day of class.

Declutter

Clean out your car if you commute, tidy up your room or dorm, backpack, purse, desk, phone, laptop, documents and whatever else. Cleaning up your living space and everything around you will feel revitalizing when starting a new semester.

Manage sleep

If you have an 8 a.m. class this semester, good luck. It is vital to train yourself to sleep earlier and earlier every night before the semester begins. We all love sleep, but why do we deprive ourselves from it? I am a total hypocrite for saying this. However, we should all start cherishing sleep and recognizing the impact it has on our performance throughout the day.

Manage time

Create a schedule to organize the balancing of school, work, socializing and sleep. I am not going to tell you to stop procrastinating, because we are all guilty of it and it can be difficult to change our ways. But creating a schedule and list of goals each week to manage everything in life might be a good start to adapt to change.

Make eating breakfast a habit

Everyone knows the cliché phrase of breakfast being the most important meal of the day. If you do not believe it is true, you are probably not eating breakfast. Nothing is more embarrassing than when your stomach is growling in class. Save yourself from the embarrassment and the fatigue and eat breakfast. Even if it is just a simple granola bar and banana, having food in your system can make all the difference when starting the day.

Even if you have heard these tips over and over before, they’re seriously helpful. If you really want to change your ways this semester, considering these few simple ideas can be a game changer. New year, new you, right?