With the ending of Fresher’s Week comes the beginning of real work and a busy timetable. Her Campus knows it can get rather overwhelming when you have a million things to do at once so here is our short guide on how to stay on top of a heavy workload in the coming weeks.
Writing ‘To Do’ Lists
Lists, lists and more lists. Work can become particularly overwhelming when it becomes an unorganised mess. Her Campus finds the best way to structure your work is to actually write out each thing you have to do. When you think about all the things you have to do at once you can become unnecessarily stressed out – which is one of the worst things you can do, because nobody can work to their true potential when stressed. A list helps you to slowly work through each task one by one, so it seems you have less of a mountain of work to do and actually just one small thing at a time. It’s satisfying to see each thing being crossed off your list and motivates you to complete all your tasks.
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Talk It Out
It is often the case that the amount you have to get through becomes worse in your mind than it actually is because you are thinking of everything at once. Her Campus suggests talking through all the pieces of work you have to do. Whether it’s with a family member over Skype, your flatmates or people on your course. You’ll probably find that a lot of people are in the same situation as you and it can often put your mind at ease knowing that a lot of people on your course are actually juggling the same amount of work as you are.
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Allow Yourself a Break
One of the worst things you can do is not take a break when your body needs one. If you’re working at home try to timetable your working hours so that you allow yourself a break every few hours. You will often find that not taking a break will mean your work isn’t as efficient as it should be because you’re tired. It’s a great idea to come away from your work for 30 minutes just to relax yourself and build yourself up for another work session. It’s also so important to allow yourself a good nights sleep so that your body and mind is refreshed for the next day of work. A lack of sleep can often lead to you feeling fatigued and even more stressed as you know you aren’t working as well as you should be. When you are well rested it is much easier to keep your emotional balance and you feel more able to cope with the amount that you have to do.
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Get Some Exercise
Whether you go to the gym or just for a short walk, getting in 20 minutes of exercise if a great way to relieve stress. During your short exercise you can think through your workload and slowly shake off the stress you’re feeling. Even if it’s the last thing you want to do it’s a really great way to get a short break from work and relax your mind.
It’s important to remember that the University offers so much support if you are feeling slightly overwhelmed with your work or are just a little stressed out. One of the first things you can do is to go to your personal tutor and talk over everything with them and they can help you to prioritise your workload and put your mind at ease.
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