RedGage

After college, some of the things that you once thought were cool may not fit into your lifestyle anymore. More than likely you developed some bad habits during your college years that you just can’t seem to shake years later. As we approach the new year, it’s a good time to put an end to your bad college habits now and forever. Here are 10 bad habits you need to shake after college:

1. Going to bed late : Going to bed late is one bad habit college grads can’t seem to shake very easily. Going to bed at 2 am and trying to get up at 7 am for work will most certainly cause some problems. Not only will you be sleep deprived, but you may not be as productive as you should be at work, and you could weaken your immune system. So, if you’re a night owl at heart, do yourself a favor and try to get to bed at a decent time so you aren’t worthless the next day.
2. Sleeping until noon : Sleeping until noon on weekends or, gasp, on weekdays is no longer cool to brag about. Now that you’ve graduated, you shouldn’t be sleeping as much as a baby like you did in college. Plus, if you have a job (and want to keep it) this isn’t even possible on the weekdays. After college, your weekends are supposed to be spent doing adult-like things, so unless you were up all night working on your portfolio or planning your next investment move, you should be getting up before noon.
3. Binge drinking : Taking shot after shot and bonging beers just isn’t the same as it used to be. After college, a weekend bender will put you out of commission for the rest of the week and your body will most certainly hate you. In case you haven’t slowed down your drinking habits, now is the time to put the binge drinking to rest and, for once, drink responsibly.
4. Late-night eating : If you’re still giving into Taco Bell’s Fourthmeal or McDonald’s Big N’ Tasty at 3 am, you clearly haven’t shaken your late-night eating habits from college. Chances are whatever you’re eating between midnight and 4 am will satisfy your hunger, but it isn’t going to be found on the food pyramid. As a responsible adult, it shouldn’t be impossible to resist late-night food binges, but if you must quiet your tummy, opt for healthy snacks instead.
5. Promiscuity : This one doesn’t require much explanation. Hookups happen, but now that you’re out of college and things are less cloudy, it’s a good idea to get to know someone before you consummate the relationship. If you’re going to do the deed, be responsible and use protection.
6. Unhealthy diet : If the days of Ramen noodles and frozen pizzas aren’t over, you may be in need of a new and improved diet. Unless you are exercising regularly, an unhealthy diet can really start to show in all the wrong places. Now that you’re making some decent money, you should upgrade from the 99-cent menu and go grocery shopping.
7. Making excuses : No more excuses! You may have talked your way out of getting tickets, absences or failing a class, but now that you’ve graduated, it’s time to quit making up excuses for every little mistake. Excuses will start to catch up with you, so it’s important to take responsibility for your mistakes and use excuses sparingly.
8. Wasting time : Countless hours were wasted in college playing video games, looking at Facebook and doing God knows what else when you had plenty of free time. Now that you’re out of college, these time wasters aren’t nearly as fun as they used to be, nor should you have time to sit on your tuchus for hours on end. Whenever you’re wasting time, something is waiting to get done.
9. Irresponsibility : You can get away with being irresponsible in college, like skipping class or drinking like a sailor, but things have got to change when you graduate. It’s assumed that you’ve gotten irresponsibility out of your system and you’re prepared to take on more responsibilities like work and paying bills. If you’re like the average college graduate, you probably aren’t financially supported by Mom and Dad anymore, and this means no insurance, no allowance and no more free rides.
10. Unemployment : There’s no doubt that the current economic climate has hindered many college grads from finding jobs within their field. However, there are limits to how long you can blame the economy and terrible job market if you aren’t trying your damndest to find a job. You may be holding out for your dream job so you can use your degree, but sometimes you have to find other work and gain more experience before you can get there. Some money is better than no money.