College is an exciting phase of life that offers us our first experience of independent living outside the oversight of our parents or caregivers. While the prospect of having this level of independence can seem very alluring, many students joining college often underestimate the demands and responsibilities that come with it.
But if you’ve been in college for any length of time will probably be familiar with the rigorous facets of college life. In between studying and working as most people do, you’re expected to take part in clubs and extracurricular activities while still maintaining a social life. Needless to say, this can seem like an impossible balancing act from which you can hardly catch a breath.
However, as challenging and intense as it can be to meet all these demands, it is still possible to be a high-performing college student and adult without sacrificing your social life. Here are a few simple tips that can help you achieve that elusive school-life balance.
- Stay On Top of Your School Work
When it comes to establishing a healthy school-life balance, one of the most important skills you can have in your arsenal is proper time management. If you struggle with meeting assignment deadlines, you should create a habit of telling yourself your assignments are due sooner than they actually are. This will motivate you to start working on them sooner and completing them on time so you don’t have to worry about last-minute rushes that are guaranteed to give you sleepless nights. Moreover, staying ahead of your school work will allow you to free up more time that you can then use in other meaningful ways.
- Create Weekly Schedules
One of the best things about having a schedule is that it allows you to realistically plan your activities according to the amount of time you have at your disposal. Creating a weekly to-do list will help you better allocate time to all the tasks you are meant to accomplish every day during the week and you will get to enjoy the satisfaction of crossing out completed tasks from your list.
Similarly, sitting down for a few minutes every week to create a schedule will help you better prioritize your activities. After all, you only have 24 hours in a day, and cramming loads of activities in your schedule will burn you out really fast. So, put your school work at the top of your priority list then evaluate how much time you can realistically spend on other activities such as chores, socializing and extracurricular activities.
- Make Time for Play
It goes without saying that your school work should be at the top of your priority list during your time in college. However, your academics aren’t the only thing that matters in college. You also need to develop other aspects of your life such as your hobbies and relationships with friends and family. So, don’t forget to slot in some fun time alone or with friends during the week. Whether it’s going out with your comrades for a night rave or staying indoors and enjoying some online games at Koi Online, creating some time for fun will help you relax and decompress from the rigors of your academic life and keep you mentally balanced.
- Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help
Granted, college is supposed to train us on how to be autonomous adults who are capable of managing on our own. However, this doesn’t mean that you should simply go at it alone even when you’re struggling. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the intense demands of college life, you shouldn’t hesitate to leverage help from the resources and people around you. Speak to your college counselor, a trusted lecturer, or a close friend and you may be surprised at just how much assistance they might be willing and able to provide. The sooner you’re able to ask for help, the faster you’ll be able to get back on track.
- Take Breaks When You Need To
Given the numerous demands that we typically have to meet in college, there will be moments when you are simply too burnt out to do much. When this happens, you might be tempted to push yourself even more out of a fear of falling behind. Unfortunately, overexerting yourself is not likely to do you any good. On the contrary, you might end up harming your physical and mental health even further.
So, if you feel mentally and physically exhausted from college, do not feel ashamed about taking breaks. This might mean stepping off the school soccer team for a while or putting a hold on your tutoring for some time so you can recover and replenish your energy.
Wrapping Up
While college is an exciting time for any young adult, it can also be very intense due to the numerous demands that you need to fulfill. However, applying the tips discussed above, you will help you balance your academics and social life a lot easier to make your time in college is as rewarding and fulfilling as possible.
Funmilola Bolaji is a Researcher, Writer and a trained Educationist; she’s the editor of Campusbiz Journal. You may want to reach her via for Campusbiz Journal related inquiries only.