Daily Routine

My day starts at 7am. Eating breakfast at my dorm may take a whole hour sometimes.1* I don't know why it takes so long, perhaps because I need to steam an egg in the morning, also peel an apple and cut it into slices. 2* Next, it is another half an hour for makeup[makeup is a more colloquial expression instead of skin care products] and getting dressed. Then it is time to go to class or do self-study/review my lessons.

After 3 hours of tiring and obscure/impenetrable3* courses on advanced economics, I welcome my lunch. With 3 hours class coming up in the afternoon, my meals during the intervals 4* is the most quality time I get all day. (Did I misuse quality time? Is it always used between friends or family members?)5*

By the way, only on Wednesday afternoon and Friday do I have no lessons to attend. This is not what I imagined a master's program to be like. I thought it would at least be more relaxing.

The most frightening things about my day are the following: First, in the first hour of lessons, I found I had already lost track of the teacher's thoughts [teacher's lecture might be more appropriate]; Second, piles of assignments are waiting to be done and are due soon, which usually take hours to finish.

What a day!

My favorite pastime is to read novels - trashy romantic novels. However now, it has really become a PAST time.6* I have not been able to sqeeze any time in to read novels, probably due to a failure of time management.

Luckily, I still make time for my biggest interest: learning English. But as you can see from my notebook records, the frequency with which I write my notebook entries is still declining. In addition, I am trying to make a regular habit of exercising, though this plan may be disturbed by the coming midterms! I also try to form a new habit7*: I joined a BP debate club, which organizes regular traninings and tournaments for entry-level debaters.

I cherish the time of studying in this program, but I still haven't found a way to balance my life. People may advise alternating work with rest. However, this doesn't work when I am still thinking about undone/unfinished homework during the time I am supposed to be resting.

By the way, have you read Asking the Right Questions by M. Neil Browne and Stuart M. Keeley? I saw people recommending this to improve one's critical thinking ability and I started to read it. Let me know if you have other recommendations!

Thank you for any corrections!

1* If you want to emphasize how long something takes, you can use the word "whole" to describe the time unit

2* Both Cut and Slice are acceptable I would favor Cut though, so that you don't repeat the word in the same sentence

3* Obscure or Impenetrable are both acceptable here

4* Intervals is acceptable, a more colloquial word though is Breaks i.e. my meals during my breaks

5* Quality time is good here

6* Very clever expression :)

7* You can use the verb "make" or form" to refer to a habit. The difference is that if you are trying to create a new habit of something you did not do in the past, we would say "form a new habit." If you are referring to doing something that is a routine or ordinary part of life, but which you are trying to do on a regular basis, most people would say "make a habit of doing something." i.e. make a habit of eating vegatables every day, vs. form a new habit of studying Spanish every day

Good job!