HOW TO:
BALANCE COMMITMENTS AT UNIVERSITY
1
REMEMBER TO PLAN
Planning out your day is one of the best ways to balance your commitments as this helps you to stay organized and reduce procrastination (something many of us do!)
2
USE SOMETHING TO HELP YOU PLAN
You can use any schedule template you can find online or having a physical or online planner is also great to either time block (planning each minute of the day) or creating a simple to-do list.
3
LEARN TO PRIORITIZE
Whilst planning, it is important to consider what your priorities are. As a student, your core priorities will be your seminars and lectures (or workshops if you have any) as well as time to do essays or independent study.
Also consider other commitments: Are you part of any societies/campaigns ? Do you work part-time?
4
PLAN YOUR BREAKS
According to sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman, our minds naturally crave breaks after every 90 minutes of intense work.
Planning your breaks can help reduce procrastination and keep you focused.
Remember to:
refuel with some good food
go for a walk
disconnect from what you were working on
Still worried about procrastination? Try a tool called RescueTime which prevents you from accessing particular sites when working!
5
IT'S OKAY TO SAY NO
As studying takes up a significant amount of your time taking on additional responsibility can be daunting at times. If you do wish to do extra activities and it becomes too much, you can say no.
Taking on too much can affect your productivity negatively, preventing efficient time management. It can even begin to affect your mental and physical health.
Speak to the Student Life Centre if you ever need additional support!
6
MAKE SURE TO TAKE TIME FOR SELF CARE
Relaxation and self care are very important to your personal development at University. Taking some personal/social time out of your schedule helps you have a clear head and prevents burn outs. Remember to see your friends, watch a movie, or even exercise!