1. Exercise
Seriously. Just do it. It makes everything better. Feeling tired? Exercise. Feeling bored? Exercise. Feeling like you’re about to kill someone if you have to read one more thing for that essay? Run it off.
It might seem hard, you might really not want to do it. But honestly, it will make the world of difference. You literally never regret actually doing a workout. Honestly, it’s a fact.
It doesn’t even need to be 100 crunches and 3,000 squats; it could just be a walk up the Bailey, maybe venture to the big Tesco in Gilsegate, or even just dancing around to your favourite song; whatever you feel comfortable with. Go wild!
2. Prepare Your Bag The Night Before
This is honestly the best hack; it means you can literally just up and go in the morning. It saves so much time and really helps with feeling prepared for the day ahead.
I usually prep my snacks, books, computer, charger, and lecture notebook and put them all in my bag each night. I then lay out my makeup ready to put on straight away in the morning. Call me freaky, I just love my organisation.
3. Eat The Same Breakfast Everyday
Okay so this might not work for everyone, but I’ve found it really helps me start my day. I always prep it the night before (yep… maybe it’s an obsession…), and have it ready to pop in my bag and take to lectures / the library with me in the morning. If I have time to eat it at home, I always have porridge with fruit, but if I have to go – it’s porridge’s summery cousin; the overnight oat! Oats are seriously filling, relatively cheap, and incredibly good for you. Not only that, but they keep you full for hours, therefore preventing any unwanted snacking throughout the morning.
4. Do Something You Love In The Evenings
After a hard day of work (if that is when you work), it can be easy just to collapse in a braindead slumber – but (and this might sound cheesy), you genuinely only live once. You are going to remember these hallowed university days when you are sitting in your 9-5 job and wishing you were able to re-live these (relatively) worry-free years. Don’t let yourself get caught up too much in deadlines & reading; it is important to get your work done, but when you’re not working – don’t work! Do something fun, go clubbing, go to the cinema, go out for a meal, watch something with flat / housemates – make the most of this time, it will be over before you know it!
5. Plan Your Work For The Whole Term
If you have lots of deadlines, it is useful to plan when you are going to have time to get the work done in advance. This can take the stress of the actual assignments, but also off the stress of whether you’ll have enough time to do them; if you have planned for this time, it takes something huge off your shoulders!
6. Plan Your Work In Time, Not Amount
This may only work for arts students, but it is such a useful hack. I find that doing fewer hours with complete concentration is better than doing more with less focus. For example, doing 4 hours productive work is far more useful than doing 6 hours of semi-listening to music, semi-posting on Facebook, semi-checking Instagram, semi-working work. A useful way of getting more productive with your work is by timing it; for example, use the Pomodoro technique (25 mins working, 5 mins break). You will find that your concentration gets stronger and stronger the more you do it, and after having done it for a few weeks, you are able to concentrate for more hours in the day.
I find this useful because it means that I do, say, 5 hours work a day; when that timer goes off at the end of the fifth hour, I know I can stop, and that I have completed my goal for the day. This enables me to indulge in watching Gilmore Girls, cooking, and seeing friends, completely guilt free!
7. Give Yourself A Break
You are here, you are trying. University can be hard; there are so many things to think about and do; how to balance extra curricular commitments with socialising, studying, working, sleep and eating well can seem almost impossible at times! Take some time off every once in a while; take a trip to Newcastle and do some (window) shopping, bake some brownies and spend the whole day binge watching your favourite TV show with a friend, take a bubble bath (if you have one!). You don’t have to constantly be doing something; relax, enjoy.
Take a deep breath, and repeat after me: THIS GIRL CAN!