How to Manage Study, Work and Personal Life at the Same Time
Being a student is fun and work-life balance is only a problem once you actually work? Not necessarily. Managing studies, work and personal life at the same time can also be difficult as a student. Workload can be tough at uni as it is and many students have other obligations such as part-time jobs as well. And then it’s also important to spend enough time with family and friends. So, it’s really important to balance study, work and personal life well!
Here’s a List of 16 Simple Work-Life Balance Tips for Students:
1. Create a schedule and stick to it
Sticking to a solid schedule can already win you half the battle. Having a certain routine to your daily tasks can help you get through them faster. So create a schedule and stick to it to use the time you have as best as possible.
2. Use a calendar and set reminders
To complete your schedule, use a calendar to keep track of everything. You can do this manually or you can use your phone. When using a digital calendar, you can also set reminders for important events. This is really convenient and you’ll never forget appointments again. Take the time to set reminders to save time in the long run.
3. Practice realistic goal setting
If you set unrealistic goals, you’ll get overwhelmed by the workload and this will actually be counterproductive. A day only has 24 hours, so plan ahead and set realistic goals for each day.
4. Stop procrastinating
If you’re on a tight schedule, procrastinating is your worst enemy. While taking time off is important to recharge, procrastination is not the way to go. If you’re struggling with procrastination, check out this article by Lifehack detailing 11 practical ways on how to stop procrastinating.
5. Don’t try multi-tasking
We all know it’s really tempting to try and do multiple things at once. Ever tried listening to a conversation and texting someone back at the same time? Well, the result usually is that you will have to ask the speaker to repeat everything that she just said and you will have to check your text message for typos. Multitasking will ultimately cost you more time, so try to be present in the moment, focusing on one thing at a time.
6. Prioritize
Being able to prioritize is a valuable skill – something that is also essential in work life. So start practicing early and learn to prioritize your tasks for the day or even the week. Consider deadlines and relative importance of the things you need to do and plan accordingly. Check out this great article on how to prioritize even if everything seems important.
7 .Study efficiently
Truthfully, this isn’t something that you can just do. However, it is something that you can learn to do. For example, think about whether you need to read every recommended book or if it’s enough to stick to the essential readings. If you read academic papers, learn to skim texts.
8. Work effectively
If you have a job, think about how you can optimize your work. For example, if you work in a restaurant, can you learn how to carry three plates at once compared to just one? In other contexts, can you re-use some of the work you’ve already produced?
9. Set boundaries and learn to say “no”
Especially as a student, you have many opportunities to fill your days and nights: university events, party invitations, family gatherings, coffee breaks with friends. However you can’t always do everything. So learn to say “no” and learn to explain your reason for saying “no”, so others won’t feel offended by you declining the opportunity to spend time with them.
10. Ask for help and advice from others
Despite the best scheduling and planning, things can still become too much. That’s ok and you can always ask for help and advice from others.
11. Communicate openly
Some people might not understand the reasoning behind some of your decisions i.e. cancelling a party, choosing an extra shift at work over spending time with friends, missing a family birthday. In such cases, open communication is key. Talk to others and explain your situation. Most people will appreciate this and you can even talk about things like rescheduling.
12. Meet more than one person at the same time
If you’re meeting friends, consider meeting as a group. This way you’ll be able to spend time together without having to leave someone out.
13. Invite your family to visit you
Many students live away from home during term. Traveling back to visit family can then take a lot of time which often can’t be spent productively. Instead of visiting your family all the time, consider inviting them to visit you some time!
14. Form study groups with friends
If you don’t have time to meet with friends because of uni or work, consider forming study groups! This way you’ll get to spend time with friends while doing something for university at the same time. If you meet for a day of exam preparation at the library, you can still have a coffee break for some chats in between.
15. Take breaks and plan time for yourself
Managing study, work and personal life can be tough and it can make you feel like you have no time left for yourself. Even when you’re on a tight schedule, don’t forget to take breaks and plan time for yourself to read a book or watch a movie.
16. Don’t forget you personal health
Closely related to the previous point, don’t forget to take care of your personal health. Eat well, sleep well, and take time to recharge so as not to impact your physical and mental wellbeing negatively. Things such as going to the gym, practicing yoga, or simply going for regular walks can help with that.
There you have it, a list of simple but effective tips for creating a better work-life balance as a student. When managing study, work and personal life at the same time, don’t forget to take care of your own personal wellbeing. Check out this article by Everyday Health on why time off is good for your health!
If you’re interested in all things university-related, check out this post on how to benefit from studying online as a student.
If you’re interested in everything work related, check out this post on why Simone Biles dropped out of the Olympics and what we can learn from her about our own working life.
How do you or did you manage your work-life balance as a student? Do you have even more tips to add? Let us know in the comments!
See you soon,
Hannah
