Achieving a balance between school and classwork can be quite a challenge. Many young students have numerous commitments and don’t know how to schedule their time well. Out of the 168 hours in a week, college students have about 3-5 hours of free time every day. The rest of the time is allocated to classwork, studying, and doing assignments. So, how can you manage and balance your time in college? Here are some great tips.
- Plan Your Time Well
At the beginning of the semester, write down all your classes and allocate time for classwork. Develop a schedule and stick to it. Set time limits for specific tasks, identify time-wasters, and set goals. It’s easy to get distracted if you don’t have goals. You can create a weekly schedule and allocate time for classwork and social life. A schedule helps you plan your time well.
- Develop Good Study Habits
In college, academics come first. You need to develop good study habits if you want to pass your exams. Instead of reading all day, set aside time to study in a library or a place with no distractions. Create a study schedule and follow it.
After studying, spend the rest of the day relaxing or hanging out with your friends. Socializing relieves the stresses of college life. When you connect with other students, you develop good social skills which you’ll need in the workplace.
- Take Care of Your Body
To balance academics and social life, you need to be energetic at all times. And you can only be energetic if you take care of your body. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, and get adequate sleep. Healthy meals and regular physical exercise improve your memory and concentration.
A lot of college students make the mistake of reading all night to prepare for exams. This is wrong. To boost your energy levels, you need to sleep for about 7-8 hours daily. Sleep advisors at The Good Patch, a company that makes a top-selling sleep patch, say that sleep plays a key role in recharging the body. When you are well rested, your brain and body function as they should.
- Avoid Distractions As You Study
To maximize your time, you need to avoid too many distractions. As you study, put your phone on airplane mode so you’re not tempted to chat or visit social media sites. According to a past study, college students check their phones and smart devices more than 11 times a day, which results in a lot of wasted time. Unless you are using your phone for research, keep it away as you study.
- Join Clubs
There are many clubs and organizations in college. Join a few and meet like-minded students to enhance your social life. If you have limited time or a difficult major, you can use clubs to engage with other students socially.
Balancing classwork and social life in college becomes easier if you organize your time well. Schedule time for all your activities and you’ll have enough time for everything.