As the CEO of feeling fairly overwhelmed, I’m going to give you some tips on how to manage your time the most effectively at university.
The struggle to juggle socialising, keeping on top of university work, going to societies and sports events, whilst working a part-time job and making sure you keep in contact with friends and family at home isn’t something that should be underestimated (even as an OAP third year I have felt somewhat overwhelmed).
I remember particularly finding semester one of first year really overwhelming; I definitely let Trainline win and take a lot of my student loan (on travelling home), so the aim of this blog is to help you, so Trainline doesn’t take all your money in semester one.
My first and biggest piece of advice (before I go into some more practical tips) is don’t beat yourself up if you’re feeling overwhelmed, that is ok!
At the start of university (and of every academic year), there is lots of pressure and expectations for you to be enjoying the ‘uni lifestyle’ all the time. It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed, maybe a bit socially burnt out, as you are struggling to manage all the new aspects...
Let this be clear everyone is feeling this way at moments of the day/week, they’re just not saying it out loud. You can still love and enjoy uni and feel overwhelmed and struggle at points, it’s totally normal.
1. Make an achievable to-do list
The key word here being achievable. Try not to be delusional and simply write a daily to-do list with a ton of unachievable things, be realistic.
Now I completely understand achievable means different things for everyone, everybody has different life circumstances but generally you will feel more productive and less stressed if you write down basic achievable tasks.
Once you have made your daily to-do list, number or highlight your top priorities of the day. This means, you can block out specific times in the day to make sure you are getting the priority tasks ticked off, before completing the less important tasks.
If you’re struggling to get started making an achievable list, the Library has a printable daily planner. This may be useful if you prefer to write out your tasks, rather than use your phone notes app.
Also, if you’re dealing with overwhelm, try the 4 Ds: do, defer, dump, delegate.
2. Talk to your personal tutor! (...and NUSU)
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it can be so easy to just skip lectures, seminars, not ask for help, and rot in your accommodation feeling sorry for yourself, your personal tutor is there for a reason- to help!
They can’t know you are feeling overwhelmed and struggling to balance everything if you don’t reply to their emails or go to your personal tutor meeting, or their drop off hours. If you don’t want to talk to your personal tutor, email your peer mentor, and ask to meet with them. They have been in your exact position and know exactly how initially overwhelming the first few months can be; at the end of the day, they are students too, so totally understand the struggle to balance it all.
If neither option sounds the slightest bit appealing, NUSU also holds a drop in you can go to and vent. If you're feeling stressed, book a wellbeing workshop. I’ve also linked some general advice from Wellbeing.
3. Set timers on your phone
Let’s be real—your phone is probably one of the biggest distractions when trying to get uni work done.
Turning it off (or at least putting it on silent and out of sight) can make a massive difference in how productive you are.
That is not to disregard using phones to block out period to study, setting timers on your phone, can be super helpful, downloading apps that help you stick to the pomodoro technique (there are lots of digital productivity tools through the Library!).
You may find your phone too distracting to use for times, if that is the case, try muting your notifications, putting your phone on do not disturb, for snippets of the day to stop you getting distracted by a friend messaging you to debrief them on their night.
Going on your phone once your work is finished is so much more rewarding than feeling guilty for constantly going on it when you’ve told yourself you are doing work.
4. Work somewhere with the least number of distractions
The space you choose to work in is totally subjective to the way you prefer to work. I personally prefer not to work in my uni room because like to separate uni work from my bedroom, but it is totally subjective to you.
They key is that you choose to work in a space free from distractions, where you are comfortable and ultimately focused. Working with friends can be great, but in order to make sure you get work done as well as yapping, set specific times you are going to work silently and then have pre-agreed breaks to chat.
Working with friends typically gets a bad reputation, but I actually think it can be super motivating.
You can also book a room in the Robbo, with friends, a module study group, group project if you need to squirrel yourself away and do some focused work.
5. Make sure you are doing things beyond university work
This is particularly important when it’s deadline/ exam season- the amount of work required can seem all consuming, but there is more to life than a summative essay!
Say yes to going to watch your friends play rugby, say yes to going to the beach, say yes to going for a coffee and sweet treat.
When you look back at your time at university, you will remember those last minute yes plans over being stressed you missed an hour or two of revision.
If you are really feeling like pushing yourself you can go to ‘Give It a Go’ sessions at the Students' Union and have a go at anything from yoga to ice hockey to reformer Pilates...
6. Meal prep
This might seem like a rogue tip, as it isn’t explicitly linked to time management and university work, but meal prepping can make such a difference to making you feel more organised.
It is very easy to fall into the trap of grabbing unhealthy, overpriced food on the go at Co-op in between lectures. By prepping your meals ahead of time, you save money, eat healthier, and avoid the stress of figuring out what to eat last minute.
This means you have one less thing to try balance throughout the day!
If you’re feeling uninspired by how many different meals you can make with pasta, the Library now has some eBooks with budget-friendly recipes in the Student Life section of the Libby app.
Ultimately managing your time at university is something that will come with time, as you practice different methods and tips to work out what works best for you. If you are feeling overwhelmed and struggling to balance speak to someone and remember it is totally normal to be feeling this way; you are human! You are honestly probably doing a far better job at balancing different aspects of your life than you think you are!
