Find the Perfect Balance – Study/Work/Play

When you leave college, start a career and eventually get married you will most likely hear this at one time in your life. “When your career is going well, your marriage is suffering,” and vice versa. While that may be years away for some readers, perhaps now you can see a parallel in your life.

Grades suffering because of too much partying? Too much studying making you stressed and tired? Too many classes not enough time to complete assignments and study?

You get the picture.

They key is finding the right balance to ensure that you are able to put all your energy and focus into the things you need to while still being able to unwind and relax and enjoy time with family and friends.

One way you could try to achieve this is by making a schedule and sticking to it.

You could buy a cheap diary or a notebook and budget your time throughout the day. While there is always of course room for a little spontaneity, try and be strict with yourself.

If you have done three hours in the library and you have budgeted in 30 mins or so for lunch. Don’t make that old granola bar that has been floating around the bottom of you backpack your second meal of the day. Take a break.Don’t push yourself to finish that one last chapter.

Guaranteed when you come back after your break your mind will be clear and fresh and you will be able to retain a lot more information that you would have beforehand.

Another good way of achieving balance is to set yourself goals when working on an assignment. Say you have five weeks to complete a project, make a timeline of what you need to complete each week. For instance, Week 1 – Pick topic and start researching, Week 2 – Continue researching and begin writing first draft, Week 3 – Finish first draft and meet with professor to discuss, Week 4 – Finalize paper, Week 5 – Hand it in.

This way you have set yourself goals that you can tick off as you go and have also allowed yourself to be able to maintain a good work/play balance. No one likes scrambling over a major assignment the weekend before it is due. And also no one has just one assignment at a time.

If you have a clear path for success which you have set for yourself then if you follow it you will be able to make the grade and still enjoy guilt free nights out.