How to Manage Your Student Work-Life Balance
Mar 10,2023
Every college student knows the rule of the three S's: studies, sleep, and social. They say you can only pick two, fꦫorcing you to let the third dwindle and decay. It's a testament to the fact that will drop out of their studies due to mental health issues.
Thankfully, our society is beginning to recognize the value of a work-liℱfe balance. But this doesn't just apply to those who have aღlready entered their careers. is a very real thing that can devastate a successful degree.
If you find that your student workload is too much, know that this is not the way it has to be. There is a way to equalize your study schedule with𝓀 time for decompression.
Join us for an in-depth guide on how to create an optimal꧂ work-life🅠 balance and keep student motivation high.
Why It's Important to Have a Work-Life Balance
If you visit the temple in Delphi, youౠ will find carved into the pediment. One of these maxims continues to be a favorite to this very day: nothing in excess.
In other words, everything in m𒀰oderation. From the Ancient Greeks to our modern day, people understand the importance of balance.
There is nothing you can do nonstop that will ultimately b♓e good for you. Even things that are great for your health, such as exercise, can be detrimental in excessive quanti🅺ties.
However, too many peopl🍃e mistakenly believe that pushing yourself to the limit at all times is good. That is simply not the case. Everyone needs breaks, and everyone needs relaxation.
The Risk of Burnout
The concept of burnout is relatively new in our public di🃏scourse. In simple terms, burnout is when you exhaust yourself after long periods of difficult and stressful work--i.e. weeks or months. However, this is mor𝔍e than just your average fatigue.
The problem with burnout 𒉰is that it is very, very difficult to bounce back. It is an exhaustion that is bone-deep. Some people may need mon💧ths or years to recover after burning out.
This could deal a devas🍌tating blow to your education and career prospects. Many people who suffer burnout are forced to drop out or fail their classes. Even if they make a quick recovery, the damage is done.
Luckily, almost every case of burnout can be avoided. It is a matter of establishing the work-life balance we mentioned earlier. With all of this in mind, let's discuss some techniques you🅠 can use to maintain a work-life balance.
Develop Time Management Skills
Time is your most⛦ valuable resource - and the one you cannot get ba𒀰ck. Using your time wisely is not just important for your education. This is a skill that you will use in every aspect of your life for years to come.
168极速赛车官方入口:Everyonღe does time manag♑ement differently, whether with schedules or planner🐎s. Use the method that🌌 works best for you.
Effective time management is about ensuring you stay on task and prioritize what is most importa📖nt. In addition to this, it i♏s about setting realistic periods of time for each task. Having disjointed, random study sessions simply will not be as effective.
For example, you might study for five hours one da🐷y and then two hours the next. You feel good about the extra long study session, but in the end, it just exhausts you and makes your next session less productive. Therefore, it would make more sense to have 2-3 hour sꦆessions on a more consistent basis.
Another part of time management is reining in your procrastination. If you let time get away from you by doing frivolous, unimportant things, your time usage will suffer a💙ccordingly.
Last but not least, you need to have regular breaks. And thꦦat brings us to the next point.
Take Regular Breaks
Think of ꦗyour mind like a car. It can gꩲo at incredible speeds for long periods of time. But at some point, it needs to stop for gas.
Likewise, your brain needs rest. It's unreasonable to expect yourself to study nonstop without regular bre𒁏aks. Just like the car, your brain needs to refuel, and its fuel is rest.
To be clear, it is important to get into a flow state whenever you can. Regardless, you can s♔till incorporate frequent breaks into your study habits.
Make th🅰ese breaks more effective, too. Go for a walk, do some push-ups, or meditaﷺte. Don't stress out your brain by doom-scrolling on social media for fifteen minutes.
Consider using tried and tested techniques, such as the Pomodoro technique. Or, simply take breaks wheneverꦿ you feel that you need them. This allows you to study for longer, sustained periods of time in a healthy way.
Don't neglect big breaks, too. Taking a day off on the weekend will be helpful to recharge your batteries. Take full advantage of any holidays or summer breaks to get l♈onger🃏 periods away from your studies.
Vary the Way You Spend Your Free Time
So let's say you've got th𝓰e above techniques down pat. But once your free time arrives, you use it to binge-watch TV or play video games for long, long h🦩ours. There's nothing wrong with doing these things, per se, but again: moderation.
You should sh🐷ake things up so that you don't get stuck in the same rut during your relaxation𝓀 time. This keeps your mind active and engaged without putting more stress on it.
You can go on a hike, exercise at the gym, or take a trip out of town. Consider giving back to the community, such as 168极速赛车官方入口:by volunteering. Try new hobbies, sports, and social activities.
Too often, people re🐻lax "too hard." They go from hard-core studying to sleeping in and doing nothing. Keepi👍ng your brain actively engaged while relaxing is helpful to "keep the engine warm" before the next study session.
Find an Easy Part-Time Job
A significant portion of enrolled students works part-time while studying. Some even work full-time while studying part-time. Unfortunately, a stressful job can degrade your performance in yo﷽ur studies.
If possible, find work that doesn't stress you out more t🔯han you need to. For example, consider working at your school's testing center or in the library. This allows you to get paid while doing an easy, quiet job that won't drain you.
Make a concerted effort to apply for scholarships and grants. If you make enough through this avenue, it will allow you to work less and study more. You'd be surprised how many scholarships you can💯 get without getting a full ride.
Avoid Multitasking at All Costs
More and more, evidence is suggesting that in the slightest. And yet most peoꦛple continue to do it.
In the majority of cases, this multitasking is studying while using your phone. You might be texting friends, listening to music, or checking notifications from social media as you read and do homework⛎. Sadly, this is a habit you will have to kick.
Your brain does not work well with doing multiple tasks at once. Sure, it is technically capable of doing so. Many people boast about being able t🌳o carry out multiple tasks at once.
But understand that while you can multitask, it makes you far less efficient in everything you do. It's better to devote yourself entirely to one task at a time. You will notice that you have better concentration and will do a better job overall.
Work Smart, Not Hard
It's easy in our productivity-driven society to mistake hard work for good work. We assume that putting our nose to th🌳e grind is evidence that what we did was effective. But that's not necessarily the case.
Often times this is about learning little, effective ways of doing things. For example, learning how to skim tex꧋t rather than reading through it. You can pick up the important, relevant bits without slogging through the entire text.
If you are learning a language, you might be using rote memorization to remember words with flashcards. Instead, you could be using an app that uses algorithms for maximum memori♏zation. You could be applying mnemonic memorization techniques on your walk to and f🤪rom class.
If you work smart, you may often find that you spend less time studying, not more. The key is to be as effective as you possibly can with the time yo🔥u have.
Learn More Vital Studying Skills With Honor Society
If you want to avoid catastrophic studentꦬ burnout, then you need to create a work-life balance for your studies. This includes cultivating skills like time management, taking breaks, and avoiding multitasking. At the end of the day, it is about embodying the Greek maxim "noth🦄ing in excess."
The Honor Society is here to help you achieve your greatest potential as you work toward your career field. 168极速赛车官方入口:Join our society and get exc𒀰lusive access to scholarship listings hosted by the Honor Society Foundation, discounted health plans, and tons of useful information to bo🎐ost your studies.