Being a university student isn’t just about being sat in the library with your head in a textbook, it can also be the best three years of your life where you can really develop as a person. You just need to know how to balance your life.
I’ve got a lot of things (as any other student does too!) to balance, like employment, family, relationships, friends and university work. Sometimes it feels like there is too much to balance but it is definitely manageable! If you’re a prospective student who is worrying about how to juggle your life around your uni work or a current student who is finding the juggle hard, here are 7 top tips to manage your work life balance.
1) Make time to do uni work: it may seem very tempting to spend time with your friends and family all the time because it’s easier than university work, but you need to make sure you get your work done too (you’ll feel less stressed if you do!) and you can always ask for help.
2) Make time for friends too: as I said you need to make sure that you do your university work also, it works both ways. It’s not beneficial to spend all your time sat in your room with a head in a book, you need to keep in touch with the important people in your life too.
3) Plan ahead: it may not be natural to you to plan everything (unlike me – I fall apart without my diary!) but you need to make sure you plan your time. Organise meeting up with friends and family in advance so that you know what you’re doing and don’t get stressed.
4) Keep in touch: even if you’re in a particularly tough couple of months in terms of uni work and have to spend a lot of time in your room, make sure that you do keep in touch with friends and family as they will be your support through this time.
5) Don’t spend too much time at work: it may seem like a good idea to get every hour of paid work that you can so that you can have as much money as possible, but you have to remember you have a lot of other things going on in your life. I hear so many of my friends saying that they don’t have time to meet up with friends or get uni work done because they spend so many hours at work. Employment is a good thing at uni, but it’s not the most important thing!
6) Find what’s best for you: me trying to tell you what to do isn’t always best for your life and your situation. Everyone has a lot to balance and you need to find the best way that you can to make sure that you manage the balance in the best way.
7) Look after yourself: though you have a lot on your plate you need to make sure that you look after yourself in terms of health! Remember to eat enough, get enough sleep and just generally learn to relax. If you’re hungry and tired you won’t be able to do everything else either.
And remember, you’re not alone! Everyone at uni will feel the same way one time or another. It gets to everyone when trying balance employment, uni and a social life but everyone manages it and if you find the way that works best for you and remember what is your priority, then you will be absolutely fine! Uni may be three years, but it goes by in the blink of an eye – so make sure that you enjoy every part of your life (not just concentrating on one!).
Worcester Student Life 