Tips on compartmentalising during exam season and how to balance work with social life, without feeling overwhelmed.
Anyone who has experienced academic burnout knows the feeling of submitting an assignment or taking an exam after days of procrastination with the afterthought of ‘that was not my best work’.
There is nothing worse than receiving results and knowing that you could’ve done better if you just hadn’t felt that way, if you had just managed your time a little better or if you could just shake this impending sense of pressure to do well and focus.
It is easy to feel this way, and it’s also easy to believe that what you achieve academically will change your life forever. This feeling is hard to shake, but here are a few tips to help:
- Start small – Setting yourself small, daily achievements can help shake that feeling of doom when it comes to an overwhelming workload.
- Start soon – I know it’s easy to say – I am known to write an essay the night before – but the sooner you start the easier it gets. Maybe you’ll even finish your assignment a day early!
- Take breaks – An obvious suggestion but an important one! You will not do better by refusing yourself time away from your laptop, trust me. It is scientifically proven that breaks can increase focus!
- Understand that what is right for you will probably work out – So you didn’t get the grade you wanted but you tried your hardest? Maybe this isn’t the right path for you, and maybe you know that. Don’t force yourself into a box you don’t fit in.
- Do it for yourself – There’s no one to perform for. Your achievements should be in the name of making yourself proud and no one else.
- Understand your leaning style – This is a rouge one but it is extremely helpful nonetheless. People work in different ways – maybe you prefer group work, visual revision, flashcards – whatever works figure it out and stick to to it.
- Engage with university! Attend your lectures! Attend your seminars! Make those relationships with your tutors – it helps in the end.
As per all advice, it is much easier to say than to do, but understanding both the importance of trying your hardest and the importance of balancing this with your life outside of academia will reform your relationship to work. If there’s any way you can make revision, coursework and exams something you possibly enjoy doing, you will change your life. Remember the privilege you have in being able to study at university, and use it to your advantage.
At the same time, don’t neglect yourself in the name of work. Remember that you, your health and your relationships are important too, and you cannot forget them in the name of hard work. The best way to approach these tasks is with balance and compassion for yourself.