A current trend in the workplace is maintaining a healthy “Work-Life Balance.” In order to achieve this, companies have been focusing on improving their work culture and truly valuing the well-being of their employees. The idea of “School-Life Balance” is equally important for college students as it is for employees in the workplace. Whether it is in an office or in a classroom, people perform at their optimum levels when placed in a healthy environment with a happy well-being.
How does a college student maintain a healthy “School-Life Balance?” This question can be difficult to answer when we are responsible for many different tasks at once. College students juggle classes five days per week, shifts at work, hours of homework and exams, and sometimes extracurricular activities such as academic clubs and sports. How do we find “me time”? When can we focus on doing things we love, such as spending time with friends, working out, or simply reading a book? Below are a few tips to keep in mind when trying to maintain a healthy “School-Life Balance” as a college student.
1. Dedicate time outside of your dorm/room: Sometimes it is easy to feel trapped in your dorm room working on assignments that seem to never end. To get out of this headspace, dedicate an hour of each day to leaving this environment. This could be going for a run, grabbing something to eat, or simply enjoying the fresh air. Facetime a friend! Anything you can do to take a step back.
2. Plan weekend activities: You may be thinking “I have so much work to do this weekend.” If this is the case, pick one or two nights of the weekend to do something enjoyable with your friends after a full day of doing work. This could be a Friday night movie night with popcorn. Be creative, just make sure you find this time to spend time with the people you love most.
3. Call your family: As a college student, you are most likely away from home and your family. Our busy lives sometimes prevent us from keeping in touch with our family. For me, calling my sisters and my mom always puts me in a cheerful mood. Calling your family may be just the thing you need to get you through a stressful week.
4. Organize your priorities: Keeping a calendar and writing out your “things to do” list helps you prioritize what you have to do for the week. This way you are able to complete the things of high importance and cut some tasks out that you may not need to complete right away. You could also cut something out of your schedule completely! It is okay to step back if you feel as if you’re balancing too much.
These are just a few things college students can do to help manage a healthy “School-Life Balance.” As a heavily involved student, I keep these in mind when I am trying to balance my own. Maintaining classes, work, and clubs is difficult at times, but doing things that make me happy while living a generally healthy lifestyle all contribute to keeping a good “School-Life Balance.”