Achieving balance between school works and social life is probably one of the biggest challenges an individual could ever face. It feels like spending time socializing hurts your academic career and vice versa which lead to you wishing you had more time. In truth, the real balance comes in being more efficient with the time you do have and better scheduling. These are just some tips that I learned that are effective for me (well sometimes) and might be helpful to you:
- Schedule your study sessions and “laag” sessions. Use “if-then” planning to build good habits. This type of planning involves using a particular situation or time of day as a trigger for schoolwork. However, it is important to have deadlines for yourself as well because using “if-then” planning alone may lead to not finishing those tasks. You’ll want to plan out your schoolwork throughout the week, as well as plan each day. Make sure that you prioritize your tasks according to their importance and due dates. Use a day planner to set up a specific block of time daily for your schoolwork. This will help you build a habit and ensure you have plenty of time to get your work done. Schedule in some fun time as well to ensure that you get a break now and then. All work and no play makes Jack the dullest student ever. Be serious about your schoolwork, but don’t forget to have fun, too. It’s okay to drop your workload for a spontaneous event or outing. Just make sure it doesn’t happen frequently.
- Stay organized and stick to your plans. Being organized will enable you to focus more on what you want to achieve, both at work and in your social life. This will allow you to make better decisions as you visualize where you are and want to go.By organizing or prioritizing what you do you can better ensure that the tasks that are crucial get more priority. It’s really simple; if you are more productive you get more done and therefore have more time.
- Avoid distractions (while studying), such as your cellphone or the internet. You don’t need to be a social media junkie to know that smartphones are addictive. Even if you stuff your phone into a drawer while studying, the slightest beep or vibration will be enough to have you digging it out and checking for missed alerts or updates. To avoid the temptation, shut down your phone completely or leave it in another room (on silent mode) when you’re tackling your schoolwork.
- Finding the right people. The people you hang out with are going to influence your study habits. During the getting-to-know-you stage, try to find students who share goals that are similar to yours. This way, you won’t be swayed to skip a study session for an all-night bash. Also, when you’re friends with your study partners, schoolwork can become a social activity. Friends who also share the same interest with you. Friends that are worth sharing the memories with.
- Have faith in Him. No need for a long explanation on this one. The Man above is always there for us whether we are struggling or not to guide us through our journey.
I just showed five easy tips on how you can balance your academics and your social life but there is this one step that you can do to really balance everything: you don’t. (I kid, follow my tips)
Source: All photos are mine (except the last one)
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/000241/
http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/academic-success-tools/college-life-balance.
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