Life as a college student undeniably tests your limits. You’re expected to juggle assignments, form bonds and relationships with your social circle and manage your money all while trying to discover who you are… Your to-do list is endless!

So, you’re bound to forget to do a few little things and that’s perfectly fine. However, there are certain things which you should never forget to do — regardless of how busy you are. Read on to see if you forget to do any of these important things when you get busy with college!

#1. Spend time with family

When you're faced with a mountain of assignments that require you to work long hours creating presentations and researching a million things, it's inevitable that you'll forget to spend time with the most important people in your life: your family.

If you're living away from home while studying, try to block out 15 minutes of your week to give your parents a call; they would love to hear from you! Living with your parents? Don’t let “hello” and “goodnight” be the only things you say to your family when you're bogged down with college coursework. Once you’ve finished a chunk of your assignment, round up the whole family for a weekend movie or dinner to catch up with all your loved ones.

#2. Drink more water

Getting your daily intake of H20 may not be on the top of your priority list when you have more important things to work on (hello, final year exams), but like it or not, drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day is essential for your health.

To help you remember to do this, place a mug or water bottle next to you at all times, as a visual reminder to glug and hydrate. A more intense way to get your water mode on is to set a reminder every 30 minutes to take a sip! Apps like Water Drink Reminder are also a nifty way to let technology help you get your daily dose of H20.

#3. Read books

Some people make it a goal to read 100 books a year (!), but should that lofty goal be too much to handle, try to have your nose in at least 2 books a month, which will translate to 24 books a year. That’s not bad at all!

Also, don’t forget to challenge yourself to read genres outside your comfort zone. Tackle sci-fi if you're a regular romance reader, or pore over autobiographies of influential leaders if your go-to books are in the realm of fantasy.

#4. Exercise regularly

Working out is good for your brain too, so you can leave excuses such as “I need to study” and “I can't exercise, I have an assignment due” behind!

Fitness junkies aren't built overnight, so instead of putting pressure on yourself to go to the gym every day, try easing into your new workout routine with weekly exercises. Get yourself to the nearest park and jog briskly for an hour; the fresh air and burst of endorphins your brain will produce after exercising will clear your head and leave you ready to conquer everything life throws at you.

#5. Track your expenses

Yes, we know managing your finances is no walk in the park as a student. It's also difficult to tear yourself away from temptations that seduce you with their exclusivity and glow of ‘having-it-all’, only for you to be dismayed after purchasing those items and experiences and then looking at your scarily empty wallet.

So remember to sternly tell yourself you need a budget. Some people may prefer to create one the old-school way with a spreadsheet, but we say download an expense tracker to let technology handily sort your financial life together. You'll still need to do the brainwork of determining your budget (the 50 / 30 / 20 rule is all you need), but the legwork of calculating your total amount spent will be done by the app.

#6. Wash your face and brush your teeth

Admit it, you’ve fallen asleep after a long day without brushing your teeth! While it’s okay to miss one night of not cleaning your pearly whites, forgetting to do it for days on end will result in pretty drab-looking yellow teeth. The horror!

Make it a point to go to bed only after you’ve given your teeth the dental care it deserves. After all, you’ve got to make do with the set of enamel you have for the rest of your life (unless you want to go the dentures route).

#7. Say thank you

Do you say thank you to the bus driver when you hop off, or do you get down without saying a word? What do you say when a waiter brings you your food?

It takes just a second to show your thanks and it’ll make a world of difference to you and the people around you.

Now that you’ve realised the little but very important things you forget to do when you get busy with college stuff, it’s time to get down to business and cross these off your to-do list!

Need some help surviving college? Stay organised with these top tips that’ll make your life so much easier!