New year, new me!
We have all been guilty of this post-festive phrase, and for many students, we often tell ourselves we will stop leaving our assignments until the last minute, or achieve the 1:1 we promised our parents or secure 8 hours of sleep every night we all need. In hindsight how many New Year’s resolutions are actually achieved? Whether you’re a fresher still finding your feet, or a third year veteran, with these 5 easy tips, you’ll be breezing your way through the next semester.
Organising your time
This might just be the most sensible tip you will ever be given. Life as a student can be very stressful. From managing your work load, going to socials and taking part in sports activities to seeing friends and family back home. By creating a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, you can visualise your time and then prioritise what needs to be done in order to make sure you are up to date on your studies and life admin! This can be a physical copy either by hand or digitally and printing it out. Alternatively, you can download an app or create an excel spreadsheet. Find something that works for you, and stick with it!
Deadlines and Exams
Deadlines and exams are possibly the most daunting aspect about university. Being organised and prepared will make taking them on a lot less scary. When received, put all deadlines and exam dates into a diary (or phone calendar). This will allow you to visually prepare for these so they do not creep up on you! Also, when challenging, busy weeks lie ahead this will help you introduce some relaxation time to allow for de-stressing.
Using your resources wisely
Lecturers, seminar leaders, University staff and your peers are here to help you succeed and not just to annoy you! Take note of your leaders working hours, and utilise them when in need. Optimising your resources around you will most definitely enhance your learning experience. Organising ‘study sessions’ with your classmates can be a good idea too, as you’re all in the same boat and it can be a breath of fresh air from independent learning.
The early bird gets the worm
Do not procrastinate the assignment your lecturer keeps mentioning. Do not leave it until the midnight cut off point either! Putting it to the back of your mind just adds to the stress of writing it when you get round to it, subsequently lowering your standard of work. Starting early, allows you to draft, read, re-draft and re-write which could be the valuable difference between a 2:1 and a 1:1.
Prioritise
Do not forget to breathe! It is only naturally to feel swamped by your work load and a never ending ‘to-do list’ but if it does begin to feel this way then take a second, step back and breathe. Next, write down all your tasks and put them in order from most important to least important. Then simply make your way down the list. Writing the tasks out and on paper will help relieve a little stress and visually crossing them off with a highlighter will give you a lot of satisfaction!
To conclude
By making the most of these tips, you will save yourself from a lot of unnecessary stress and you will enter the new semester by setting off on the right foot! Prioritise your work load, write things down and utilise the people and resources around you whilst at University. Be visual with dates and deadlines and do not let time run away with you. Happy New Year!
