Balancing School & Life

Balancing school and life can be a bit stressful. Learning how to manage everything is key to your success. Here are a couple of tips that may help you on this journey.

CREATE A SCHEDULE AND FOLLOW IT

Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. Failing to manage your time damages your effectiveness and causes stress. The first thing you should do is to create a schedule.

Create Your Schedule

You can use a planner or even Google Calendar. Include your work shifts, class times, study times, commitments, appointments, important dates, and deadlines. Use the ‘At-a-Glance’ feature to view the whole month for important dates.

Use Weekly/Daily features to see the day’s details/to-do list. Include notes for your reference
Set reminders/notifications
Color code different categories: Bills, Work, School, Personal

Follow Your Schedule

Look at your schedule to see how to best manage your time. For example, if you notice that you will have exams and papers due in the next two weeks, you can start working on a study plan and your papers this week to get a head start.

TAKE LARGE TASKS AND BREAK THEM DOWN

Break the task down into small, manageable pieces. Each section should take 30 minutes or less to complete. List all of the parts then cross off each one as you complete it. This way you will have the visual satisfaction of seeing progress.

For example, if you have an essay due in a week, on Monday you can work on the outline, on Tuesday, the introduction, on Wednesday and Thursday fill in the body, on Friday you can work on the conclusion and references, and over the weekend you can review and proofread.

SET ASIDE TIME FOR BREAKS

It may seem difficult to get away from a big project. But when you give yourself permission to step away from it, you let yourself have time to do something else, which can help you have a new perspective or practice techniques to feel less overwhelmed. It’s important to not avoid your stress, but even just 20 minutes to take care of yourself is helpful.

BE ABLE TO SAY "NO"

It is crucial to set boundaries in order to balance school and life. Having too many commitments and saying 'yes' to every invitation or opportunity, can lead to burnout. By saying 'no' you set healthy boundaries that will help you invest your energy and time on what is necessary and beneficial to you.

ASK QUESTIONS WHEN YOU'RE STUCK

Often students do not ask questions and get stuck. It is okay to ask questions. You may need clarification on an assignment or a problem in your math course. Ask your professor or a classmate so that you can keep moving forward.

SET CLEAR GOALS

Creating SMART goals can help you stay organized with meeting deadlines on your schedule. When you are meeting your deadlines, you are better able to balance school and accomplishing your other goals.

KEEP EVERYTHING

ORGANIZED

Keeping everything organized helps with being effective. Have all of your school supplies in one area. Organize your digital files in different folders for each course. Here are a few tips on how to stay organized with your classes

MANAGE YOUR TIME EFFECTIVELY

Managing your time effectively requires self-discipline. If you have 20 minutes, what will you choose to do? Work on an assignment or go on social media? Choosing to do what will benefit you will free up your time in the long run and will help you reduce stress. The more you practice choosing assignments over time wasters, the more you will get done in less time.

LIMIT YOUR TIME SPENT ON PROCRASTINATING

Not procrastinating will help you keep balancing your personal life and school. If you procrastinate, it may feel okay in the moment, but eventually the the stress of trying to catch up, or doing things last minute will come. If you want to learn more about overcoming procrastination, check out our SSP 2 workshop.

CARE FOR YOUR BODY

To be effective, and have the energy, clarity, and motivation to complete your tasks, you must take care of yourself! Eat healthy balanced meals, exercise, get enough sleep, and if you need to, take multivitamins! Make time to take breaks, rest, and recover otherwise you will experience burnout and you will not be able to focus.

REMEMBER!

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