Lexie Boardman
It’s official: the Christmas break is unfortunately now well and truly over, and it’s time to get back into that productive mindset once again! As much as many of us would love to hold onto Christmas, there’s another semester of academia up ahead. Here’s a roundup of the best way to get back into the university routine for this semester.
Plan! Plan! Plan!
Before you find yourself snowed under, somehow being five weeks behind on work even though it is only week three, make some time to set out a plan. This doesn’t mean you have to have every hour of the day pre-planned down to the finest detail, or even down to each hour. Everyone is different, but to set out an idea of needs and goals for each day of the week is a great start.
Personally, I find it easier to make a to-do list every day. It features the stuff that I need to get done, and every day I tick off tasks as I go through them. The following morning, I then go through what I didn’t get done the previous day and add that to the to-do list for that day, before adding any extra tasks.
If to-do lists aren’t your style, try making a schedule for the week, split up into hour-long slots. Mark out where lectures and other commitments fall, and then create your own allocated slot to embark on a study session. It is also good to make a note of when your deadlines are, and how they line up with the rest of your schedule, helping to avoid that last minute all-nighter to finish another essay. You can even do all of the above! Having a plan, be it a meticulous one or not, is something that can help force us into a routine.
Get into a routine
It usually is a good idea to say goodbye to the 4am bedtimes and 3pm wake-up times as you go back to university. Of course, you can have a lie-in and a late night every so often, but trying to get into a suitable sleep routine has many benefits. Not only does this mean you guarantee yourself a solid, recommended 8 hours of sleep, but it means you will feel energised ahead of lectures and other commitments.
It means you can get three meals a day, as it is important to be nourished even more so when you are working hard – food is fuel! Smaller things like having a meal at a set time every day, or having a shower at a set time every day, making sure you don’t stay in bed for hours after you wake up, and getting dressed rather than having pyjama days every day are all really important to get yourself into this routine. Obviously, these things can relax as you get into the swing of the semester, but going into it with stricter rules can help you to make these positive changes
Make time for yourself
Obviously, it is important that you get into your work for the final semester of the year – but that doesn’t mean no fun! Whilst it’s good to be focused, it’s also incredibly important to have some downtime and some social time to get your head out of the books. Get in touch with some of your friends or classmates and make some plans – you could go for a walk, go for a night out, have a study session, go shopping, the list is endless.
Spending time socialising can be daunting for some people but having some time to talk to a friend works wonders for your mental health. Getting out of your room and outside to get some fresh air even just for a few minutes can help you feel refreshed and motivated. As well as this, practising some self-care on a regular basis can help you to detach from the world of university, and it is always good to look after yourself – especially when you’re throwing yourself back into this heavier workload.
While the above tips should help you get back into a productive, academic mindset, don’t let yourself get stuck. Your lecturers are there to help you and to support you, so never hesitate to drop them an email. Reach out to others on your course and see if they’ll help you out because many of them will.
University is such a high-pressure environment, and it is so easy to find yourself overwhelmed, lost, and miles behind your peers. Don’t let yourself feel snowed under by work, but equally do not shame yourself for not being a perfect student.
There is no such thing as a perfect student, everyone works differently and university looks different to every individual student. You’ve got this – one last semester before a well-deserved summer break!
Featured Image courtesy of Siora Photography via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to the image.
Lexie Boardman
I am a 21-year-old journalism graduate studying MSc Media Psychology, passionate about music, sports (especially motorsport), sustainability and wellbeing.