Allow me to clarify, school-life balance is more like the work-life balance we often read about over the internet. We usually find articles about the importance of striking a work-life balance to finding happiness in your life’s work. But, we rarely read or think about how achieving school-life balance matters as students.
It’s understandable as a student; you want to try your very best and outdo yourself. Especially since you’re still young, you can afford to push physically and mentally. However, with rising depression and possibly suicide cases among students, school-life balance is exceptionally vital.
But remember, striking a balance between school and life is ongoing. Not a result! There is no one size fits all solution in achieving it, but rather a process of self-discovery. Below are some tips I find helpful in achieving school-life balance:
Setting some ground rules on work
You might not think it’s possible, but you can do everything you need to do during the school day. You don’t have to stay up all night or wake up early to study most of the time. How can this be possible?
Stick to a set timetable
You need to have a point where you stop, close the book, and take a break from school. During the day, you may need to set small breaks. For example, you might need to set aside a few afternoons or days where you can be lazy. Find what works best for you. But always set some time for yourself.
Say No
Every time you say “yes” to one thing, you’re saying “no” to something else, so don’t do that. Because you only have so much time, this is true. So you have to be careful with how you spend that time. Sometimes, saying “no” means that you miss out on great opportunities. It might hurt now, but it will help you do more in the long run.
Recharge your body and mind
To recharge your batteries, you have to do something different for each person. A quiet night alone with a book or watching a movie might be what you need to recharge. If you get recharged by being with other people, you might have to invite friends to go hiking or invite some friends over for a game night. There are things you need to do to keep going. First, you need to figure out what recharges you. Do not listen to people who say you shouldn’t recharge by being alone or going out. It doesn’t matter if they don’t understand what works for you. It would be best to refresh in a way that works for you.
‘Can’ vs ‘Should’
“I can” and “I should” are two different things. This concept is one of the things I’ve learned from my undergraduate years. For example, I can skip lunch and study more for a class. But should I do this? Instead of working on a big project due tomorrow, I could go out with some of my friends. But should I?
You’re likely to have the same problems. You can indeed make something work, but it doesn’t mean you should. It doesn’t matter if you can get by on less than 4 hours of sleep. You shouldn’t get less than 4 hours of sleep every night. Even if you can study the night before a test and do well, you shouldn’t do this every time you study.
In other words, how can you get out of this mindset and set yourself up to be successful for a long time? Before you do something, think about these questions:
When must this be done?
Do I need to do that right now? Can you put off this task during the day or the next day? On the other hand, it might be possible for you to “procrastinate on purpose.”
How will this task affect me in the future?
If this task will relieve you of a lot of stress, do it! Perhaps it helps you feel better, then don’t put it off. If this task will keep you from doing something more substantial, put it off. When you have more time later, you can finish it without taking away from something more significant.
Will I have to give up my health to do this now?
Less sleep means that you won’t be as focused, you won’t have as much energy, and so on. When you don’t have a meal, it’s the same. Take a bad grade on a low-point assignment, then risk your short-term health for a bad grade. Within reason, this is true when you’re socialising as well. A night with your friends can sometimes give you the extra push you need to finish your work.
Don’t focus too much on balance
Using a ‘balanced’ study plan can be harmful; get up at 5 a.m., and go for three-mile runs every day. How? This plan can sometimes get in the way of what matters, which is learning what works for you through trial and error. Thus, focussing too much on achieving school life balance might sway you from what’s important.
Accept that this journey to “balance” is long, and don’t try to speed it up. When you do something wrong, you will learn from it. Then, you will have to start over. In the end, you will have to tell yourself that you tried something and it didn’t work out. Afterwards, you will have to get back up.
Some people have a hard time with this, like me. The goal isn’t to “master the system,” or “achieving school life balance” but to let go of the high standards you or others set for you. You have to accept that there will be rough times, and you will not hit the mark. You can start over.
No productivity hack can solve all of your problems for good. What worked in the past might not work for you now. But, how do you learn to let go of your sometimes exceptional high expectations or hopes? Here are some ideas:
Speak to yourself with kindness.
If you make a mistake, don’t keep beating yourself up about it over and over again. Afterwards, don’t punish yourself again or again. There will be enough natural consequences to do that. Instead, dust yourself off in your mind and try a different way. Sometimes you have to cheer for yourself.
Accept that you will fail.
If this isn’t clear to you yet, failing is part of your college life. If you don’t fail now, your post-college life will be significantly down. So though your goal shouldn’t be to fail, you shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that it didn’t work.
Keep in mind that people are more important than tasks.
People should be more important than things. If you’re more focused on getting things done than growing as a person, you can sometimes forget about what college is all about. People have a way of pointing out things that need to be done better or grow better. To be a person, you need to talk to people. If you don’t, you won’t grow as a person.
Balance is a journey with many twists and turns. All roads don’t work for everyone. If you want to find a system that works for you, you’ll have to try and try until you find one that works for you. You won’t get it right on your first try to be more balanced. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.
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