As exam season is fast approaching, there is no better time to gain a clear mindset of how to deal with the seemingly impossible workload that faces you. Well-acquainted with the stress of trying to meet Uni deadlines, Ashley Sullivan breaks down some of her most valuable tips to stay on track.
Attend all your classes
As straightforward as it seems, the simplest way to stay on top of your workload is to attend all your lectures, tutorials, labs, workshops etc. We all know the struggle of lacking the motivation to attend classes, but trust me, missing a class will only make that worse. With a subject only lasting for a 12-week semester, there is a lot of material that needs to be covered in a limited amount of time, so each class you attend is crucial in actively progressing your course schedule. Just think, it will make your life a whole lot easier when it comes to revision time.
Never underestimate
I stress this point because it's my very own Achilles’ heel in almost every Uni assessment I have done (and unfortunately, will most likely continue to be). Underestimating lulls you with a false sense of security, quieting your anxieties whenever thoughts of your upcoming assignment spring up. But I repeat, do not give in to this momentary relief of stress. Lack of time is one of the most damaging factors towards achieving a great mark, and I assure you, nothing hurts worse than knowing you could have done better IF ONLY you had more time.
Visualise your workload
Despite being repeated time and time, organisation is crucial to achieving ease of stress and more success. It's easy to become overwhelmed with our day-to-day lives, and it's even easier to forget a class reading or quiz when we're trying to balance the rest of our life. Whether it be an excel spreadsheet, a planner, google calendar or post-it notes, using some form of organisational tool to layout your tasks is incredibly useful in visualising how much time you should allocate to each activity. I use a combination of a daily planner, a to-do list and post-it notes scattered over my desk to force me to stay focused on what tasks demand priority. Not only does organising enable you to prepare for oncoming weeks of assignments and exams and schedule your time accordingly, but it also rewards you with the satisfaction of crossing it off your to-do list once completed.
Study with company
This varies from person to person, but studying alongside friends, peers, or within a study group can help you find the necessary motivation and support to grind through your workload. I encourage studying in a library setting to gain the optimal experience, but group study holds the benefits of enabling you to maintain your social connections and bounce off your ideas and queries with those around you. Although it's very tempting for a study session to devolve into a social hangout, ensure that you study alongside people who will hold you accountable and help you to gain new perspectives. Vice versa, it's important to reciprocate the value of an effective study session by collaborating ideas and exchanging study techniques.
Reward yourself for your achievements
Burnout is very real. Working too hard will always catch up with your mental health, and neglecting to give yourself time to rest will reverse your productivity. A common yet effective way to break up your time is by using the Pomodoro timer to segment your tasks into 25-minute intervals of work and 5 minutes of downtime. Alternatively, after you've written up your daily tasks for the day, write down one relaxing activity to follow up with after completing your work. Personally, I enjoy allocating time to reading a good book or watching an episode of a tv series. It feels a lot more rewarding to get through your tasks once you know that you have something to look forward to, guilt-free.
- This blog post published in collaboration with UTSoC – the UTS Society of Communications.
Ashley Sullivan is a second-year journalism and law student who you will most likely find raving about her favourite films and books. She enjoys spending her free time envisioning her future life by designing fashion, travel and home decor boards on Pinterest.