After completing high school last year, I really thought that was the end of my stress. Like surely uni was more chill. And while High school freak me has dissipated, I got to uni and encountered a completely different problem altogether… balancing everything. As someone who works 3 jobs, likes to have a yap session, has uni commitments such as committees and the uni musical, and unfortunately also has to do my degree, getting good at balancing life has become a major priority this year. While my overcommitments do humble me (face planted while getting off the train in a rush wearing stilettos rip), I've learnt a few things that have helped me manage all my weekly activities effectively. That way I don’t destroy myself trying to feel on top of everything and continue to pour from a (somewhat) full cup.
Utilise your filler time
Tuesdays are a long day. Usually, I will get to uni at 9am, have classes until 4:30pm, committee meetings until 6:30 and then musical rehearsals until 9pm (come watch it). So basically 12 hours on campus. This means I was constantly thinking to myself; when I am supposed to watch the lectures I missed on Monday from when I was working? However, I found throughout the day that I actually have a lot of time where I could be productive, such as the 2 hours I spend on public transport travelling to and from uni, as you can't work your part time job on a train, but you can study. Nowadays, I always watch a portion of my lectures and do my weekly quizzes on the train, and I have found it to save me so much time to do other stuff (you have to sit on the train anyways, might as well make the most of that time). This means that you don't have to cram in this uni work throughout an already busy day, which leaves you time to get coffee with your friends or have an earlier night later.
Schedule breaks into your week
If you are the kind of person who will fill every available second of their day with commitments to the minute (like me), you'll probably find that just because you are physically free, doesn’t mean that you will have the energy to balance lots of things in one day. Then you'll probably find yourself exhausted trying to hang out with your friends or falling asleep while serving a customer. This is really what I mean about pouring from an empty cup. That's why good balance relies on us crushing our commitments and responsibilities and not having it crush us. A good strategy for sustainable balance is setting aside at least 30-60 minutes a day as "unavailable" relax time. Literally you should just be doing things that re-energize you (bed rotting or hot girl walking is highly recommended) and treating it as any other task.
Leave socialising for nighttime (when your brain dies)
So, we all want to spend time with our friends and family right? But obviously if we’re drowning in assignments and are trying to get that bag at the same time it can be hard to find the time. And while us humans can do so much with our life, we are still just humans and are impeded by our biology e.g. being incapable using any sort of academic brain power after 8pm. Personally, no matter how hard I try, I cannot generate a single thought in the evenings and It usually means it takes me three times as long to do uni work as it would during the day. That's why I recommend devoting the daytime to any uni study, lectures or assignments I have to do, and sparing the night for other priorities like hanging out with my people and doing things that don't require the same mental energy.
Don’t be afraid to say no
This one is pretty straight forward. If you're the kind of person like me who struggles from major FOMO and also wants to be everywhere all at once, you'll probably relate to overbooking yourself and feeling like you have an unmanageable amount on your plate. What I have learnt from this is that it's actually going to feel way better saying no every now and again to ensure you're not giving your energy when there's none left, as opposed to feeling exhausted trying to do a million things you agreed to in one day. Because in honesty, you're probably not going to enjoy it if it realistically doesn't fit into your day. That's why in order to keep on top of life, it is okay to say no to things that don't suit us. For example, if your manager asks you to work a 5-hour shift on a Thursday night, you may be physically available, but it might actually be a lot better for your stress and your to-do list for the rest of your week if you catch up on uni then instead. In addition, if you work a 9-hour shift on a Sunday, its okay to tell your friends you’re going to skip tonight if it means that you’re going to be really stressed trying to catch up on uni for the next few days.
Schedule uni classes with time gaps
This is something I have found to be super helpful, and it entails scheduling your seminars/tutes/lectures in the morning and afternoon, with a few spare hours in the middle. For example, on a Thursday I will come in for a 9-11am seminar, and then attend a lecture at 2:15pm, leaving me with a few free hours in between. This is good for two main reasons: Number 1, it means you are forced to catch up on uni and do any assignments you have as you are on campus and literally can't be doing anything else (e.g. working or going out with friends). I find that when I leave my uni work for after I get home from uni, I usually find myself doing other stuff like picking up shifts or going to yo-chi and neglecting uni more so. Number 2, if you schedule these breaks, you'll probably find it a lot easier to meet up with your friends who are also on campus / develop new friendship as your saving time having to meet up somewhere and you'll probably end up making better friends as your not having to rush off from them to classes. This in turn will elevate your uni life and create a more balanced schedule full of both academics and socialising.
Reduce your to do list: do things the day its on
Whilst I know ticking off a to-do list can be one of the most satisfying feelings, I also want to mention the dread I feel when it's too long and I simply can't do it. Being on top of things from the very beginning is something that might help to make sure we don't feel behind and we have time for everything else we want to do. Fine you have work on a Monday, and you had to miss a lecture, but watching the lecture after work, in 2x speed of course, might spare you from having to ditch future social/work commitments because you left it and fell behind later in the week. When we complete everything on time, it means we have extra time to ourselves or to catch up with friends, and of course less stress as our to-do list is manageable. Doing things as they come also makes sure we don't overstimulate ourselves and instead we can devote our brain power to other areas of our lives.
One location, one day.
As someone living in the suburbs, it’s a bit of a hike getting to uni, and it wastes a lot of my day where I could be doing other stuff. That's why you'll never see me coming into uni for only an hour or two. One thing I do in order to balance my uni commitments and work responsibilities is ensure that the days I need to come in for uni activities like committee meetings or musical rehearsals, are also days that I have classes, and are my delegated "uni days". This frees up my other days for other aspects of life and ensures that I don’t feel overwhelmed with trying to balance lots of commitments. This also can apply more closely to the academics as well as I have found it helpful to schedule most of my tutes on one day so that I can get it all done at once. If you're thinking this wouldn't work because you’re the kind of person who likes to attend lectures… same. I'm still at uni three days a week usually. However, it just means that if other commitments come up, I don't have to be there all of those days and have more freedom to balance my ever-changing schedule.
Incorporate socialising into study
With my degree I'm also doing a diploma in Japanese, and I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy with all the quizzes we have to (I can't read any of it). I found that the only way I could get myself to do the quizzes is by doing it with a friend. Even if it's past the time when my brain can no longer function i.e. 8pm, if I do it with a friend not only am I socialising but I'm also getting the work done, leaving us with time to hangout properly afterwards. This applies to uni as well! Why not kill two birds with one productive stone and organise to get coffee and do some study with a friend who you can work together with. Plus, when we're socialising the content is way more interesting and you can retain it more easily anyways.
Overall, these are some of the most beneficial strategies I have picked up throughout my first year of university when balancing life so far. Whilst I still do often feel overwhelmed with everything I have on my plate, I find that the best way to manage this is adjusting small details within our days to suit both ourselves and everything we have on, instead of cutting out big things from our schedule e.g. quitting a job. With that in mind, I hope some of my tips are helpful to us busy students in this hustle culture, and just remember even at the most overwhelming times, everything will be okay. You can always pick yourself up after face planting off the train and move on with your life, just like I did.
By Keira Singleton
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