The modern pace of life is pretty demanding, don’t you agree? We must cope with a million tasks, stay flexible and make decisions quickly. Plenty of students are sure that by devoting all their time to work, they will achieve great success. However, this leads to burnout and depression, as well as problems in personal life.
Another sore subject is that we barely give ourselves time to unwind. We respond to messages from colleagues late at night and on weekends. As a result, our lives become saturated with anxiety, irritation, or even panic.
And the worst thing is that when stressed out, the body produces an excess amount of cortisol. This, in turn, disrupts neural connections and damages the frontal lobe that is responsible for memory, attention, control, and decision-making. That’s why we study worse, become distracted easily, and make terrible mistakes.
So, is there a way to maintain inner harmony and still succeed? We are sure that it’s quite possible, and below, we are sharing tips on how to do that!
Learn To Delegate
When the deadlines are approaching, and you are losing yourself in the maelstrom of necessary tasks, think about outsourcing. One can always rely on a professional essay service: there, you can order essay and let an experienced essay writer do the job for you. And while an author from EssayHub finishes your school assignment, you can devote time and energy to other urgent things. No doubt, nothing is impossible with a trustworthy online essay writing service on your side!
Organize Your Workspace
With the beginning of the coronavirus, many universities have switched to online mode, not to mention companies that have been working remotely ever since. That’s why many students barely leave their bedrooms. After all, you can complete all the necessary tasks in the comfort of your own home. However, sooner or later, the brain will confuse areas for study, work, and leisure.
First of all, to restore work-life balance, you need to organize your space. Let’s say you usually spend time sitting at your books and laptops in the kitchen. Create a comfortable environment there: make coffee and turn on Lo-Fi beats in the background. You can also give preference to some casual clothes instead of pajamas.
As for the relaxation area, light candles and aroma sticks and set up cozy lighting. This will make it much easier for you to separate activities.
Set A Time Frame
Follow the rule of not reading work chats after 7 pm and avoid checking your mail on weekends. Also, create some specific rules for your studying routine. For example, when listening to lectures, forget about multitasking and focus on the educational material only. That’s how you will remember everything from the first time and save energy on test prep.
Take Advantage Of Digital Detox
Our eyes experience great tension when constantly being in front of the screen. Therefore, try to absorb as little content as possible during weekends and also turn off your notifications.
Fill your after-hours with activities such as jogging in the park, seeing your grandmother in her country house, painting and yoga. Yes, personal life also requires planning. Allow yourself to be distracted from business matters so that later you can return to solving them in a better mood.
Have Breaks During The Working Day
Taking small breaks will keep you productive and focused for the rest of the day. Otherwise, your cognitive abilities will be much weaker, and you will become less creative.
Go outside, warm up to your favorite music, or watch an episode of your favorite TV series. After all, you aren’t a robot to work without pauses.
Don’t Ignore Your Health Problems
If you feel any kind of discomfort – this mustn’t be ignored. Listen to your body – it knows better what you need.
Unfortunately, all the malnutrition and sleepless nights won’t pass without consequences. So, the bare minimum you can do for yourself is to get enough sleep, eat in small portions several times a day and add physical activity to your schedule (be it walking, going to the gym, or dancing).
Build Your Priorities
To do this, use the Eisenhower Matrix. Before starting a task, ask yourself two questions. Is it important? Is it urgent? Divide the assignments into four groups according to this list:
- Important and urgent;
- Important, but not urgent;
- Urgent but not important;
- Non-important and not urgent.
Say No
Do you have a lot of deadlines, and a classmate asks to proofread their work? Do colleagues want to reschedule the call to a time that doesn’t suit you? Be honest about your plans and workload. Let go of tasks that you can’t fit into your schedule. Unfortunately, the time-turner from the Harry Potter universe doesn’t exist in the real world, so it is unlikely that you will be in several places at once.
Know Your Activity Periods
Distribute tasks according to your periods of activity. It’s simple – start important and urgent assignments during periods of maximum efficiency. If you are a lark, be active in the morning, if you are an owl, stay productive in the evening. So you can spend less time at work and achieve better results.
Give Up Perfectionism
At this point, we don’t advise you to work halfheartedly. What we really mean is that you shouldn’t beat yourself up for small mistakes or failures. Better determine how to avoid them next time.
Find A Hobby For Your Soul
Meditation, yoga, painting… Find an activity that will fill you with energy and joy! It could also be journaling, selling vintage items, or reading tarot cards. It is vital that you enjoy the process and not the result itself. Doing what you love will make you much happier.
To Wrap It Up
Despite the fact that the concept of work-life-study balance is well-known, few people are ready to change their lifestyle. Why? We live in a time when the cult of success is grand. Thinking of material achievements and higher grades, many of us stop hearing their inner voice.
However, the truth is that both employees and employers lose from the rat race. After all, the human body isn’t intended for constant work and enormous stress!
The principle of work-life-study balance isn’t about ignoring tasks for the sake of leisure. It’s about the manifestation of all your talents and interests. It’s about realizing your own needs and fulfilling them. And the main thing is that this balance helps you to fill your life with everything you adore so much!
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