As Jesuit students finish their first three weeks in the academic year, many classes pick up the pace of rigorous curriculum that Jesuit is known for. It is statistically proven that over 50% of students in America feel overwhelmed by school work. Even worse, 25% feel that homework is their biggest cause of stress. Here are four tips to balance work and life as the six-week grade check approaches.
1. Be more efficient at work
The biggest trick to avoid getting caught up in a queue of never-ending assignments is to finish the work in a productive time window. One of the best ways to ensure productivity during work is to choose a good location. Sometimes, if one struggles to focus at home, taking the assignment to a quiet area such as a library is the best way to complete the work. Closing the email, turning off the phone, or adopting a “just do the damn homework” attitude are all effective ways to finish the task at hand.
2. Prioritize self-care
It is easy to become enveloped in one’s homework and neglect personal care. However, making the decision to set aside time for exercise or eating nutritious meals would drastically improve one’s mindset before going to work. Making self-care non-negotiable is the first step to being productive.
“To many, our work is more than just work, it is an embedded part of our values. However, if work crosses the line between something that brings us value to something that brings about great stress, we need to seriously evaluate what is causing this stress.”
~~ Amy Sullivan, PsyD at the Cleveland Clinic
3. Disconnect when at home
Students often share that they “can’t help but answer every message or email or snapchat that comes in.” However, as Editor of Psychology Today, David Burkus puts it – “You can’t multi-task. Not really. And neither can anyone else.” Multi-tasking is like juggling – it is possible, but one can only touch one of the balls at a time. The most efficient way to finish an assignment is to concentrate on that task and finish it before responding and falling prey to surrounding stimuli.
It is as Dr. Sullivan from the Cleveland Clinic so wisely says, “Put down the phone.”
4. Take a vacation
Eventually, there will come a time when the work is done, and you would like to continue trudging without taking a break. Don’t. Take some time off, even if it’s a cheat day where all one does is to watch movies and sleep or a Saturday afternoon where you meet up with friends for dinner. Taking breaks are an underrated and underappreciated realm of balancing work/life and are necessary to reset one’s brain for the next work day.
Stay tuned on the Roundup for more student life tips!