Surviving your final year of University
There's no doubt that uni-life is stressful, especially final year. Believe it or not, I signed up for another one. I'm currently doing honors and at the time of writing this post I probably have 3 assignments that need to be finished by next week... (just great) Although this is going to be probably the worst year of my life, I just keep telling myself to always look on the bright side, and people tend to remind me of this too. Just imagine what life will be like after honors, the opportunities, the money is so much better etc. Well well well... I can almost taste having my life together and not having to worry about assignment after assignment.
I figured there'd be loads of people in my position that's going through the exact same thing, and not trying to be Insta-famous... So I am putting out this "You are not alone" type post, cause I'm pretty sure we all trying to survive.
It's not too late to get this year together, for me this year just kicked in... but I'm going to suggest 5 tips to get you through this year if you're studying... I won't say 'with ease' cause it's not going to be easy, it's going to be flipping hard!! But it's going to be worth it in the end (I'm still waiting for my end... Also I feel like I heard this phrase before.)
I figured there'd be loads of people in my position that's going through the exact same thing, and not trying to be Insta-famous... So I am putting out this "You are not alone" type post, cause I'm pretty sure we all trying to survive.
It's not too late to get this year together, for me this year just kicked in... but I'm going to suggest 5 tips to get you through this year if you're studying... I won't say 'with ease' cause it's not going to be easy, it's going to be flipping hard!! But it's going to be worth it in the end (I'm still waiting for my end... Also I feel like I heard this phrase before.)
1 - HAVE A SCHEDULE
This is one of the most important things I have learned. Because my classes started at different times every day, I woke up 2 hours be for each class and my sleeping pattern went down the drain... I figured that waking up at a set time and rather taking time out to eat breakfast or do work, or watch some videos will be good. Or if you the exercise type, maybe a short yoga or hiit session will do you good.
Planning my day had a huge part with figuring my life out.
This specific Week Agenda* app really helped because it gave me a weekly view of what was happening that week and what I had to prepare for the next week.
*Only available on iOS but I'm sure you can find a good one on Android
2 - WORK HARD, BUT NOT THAT HARD
"I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it."
Said by the famous Bill Gates, and I stand by this since high school, my mama always said I was a damn lazy kid and I believed her. I found the absolute easiest way to do everything, I am the person that carries all the groceries in, in one trip. So back to the tip, work smart plan out your week and what you need to do (I make lists) give yourself sufficient time to do these tasks and get them done (this takes us back to scheduling).
Said by the famous Bill Gates, and I stand by this since high school, my mama always said I was a damn lazy kid and I believed her. I found the absolute easiest way to do everything, I am the person that carries all the groceries in, in one trip. So back to the tip, work smart plan out your week and what you need to do (I make lists) give yourself sufficient time to do these tasks and get them done (this takes us back to scheduling).
3 - TAKE TIME OUT
Besides working you need to take a break, spend time with friends and family, this was important for me because it kept me sane. This always kept me happy and if it wasn't for friends and family I do not think I'd make it through last year.
And that's a wrap, these tips won't make you smarter or anything but it will make it seem like you are doing a good job, and it sure as heck kept me sane.
These tips may or may not work for you but it is a good place to try if you're totally lost. I understand that we do things differently and that we all have what works for us, and if you found what works for you please leave your number one tip in the comment box below, I'd love to read it!
4 - TAKE A BREAK
A part of working hard but not that hard is taking breaks. For me, I cant keep my focus for really long periods of time, so I don't. So often I set a timer on my phone to study or work for 40 minutes, take a 5 minute break and then after a few hours take a walk around the house. This worked well for me, It helped me get my mind off the work and allow my brain to rest. This really helped me to stay really focused for that 40 minutes I was studying or working.5 - EAT, SNACK, WATER
This is a must for me! Remember those walks around the house, it was to the fridge or snack cupboard... Having something to snack on while studying is probably the best thing for me, I just tell myself I'm working so hard I need to be rewarded! Sort of like a dog... This is probably not the best tip, cause I suggest chocolates and chips but there are some healthy snacks out there that tastes real good (I hear)... also keep hydrated apart from the coffee and energy drinks have some water too, a lot of us skip out on this (I'm guilty of this too) but its super important, trust me.And that's a wrap, these tips won't make you smarter or anything but it will make it seem like you are doing a good job, and it sure as heck kept me sane.
These tips may or may not work for you but it is a good place to try if you're totally lost. I understand that we do things differently and that we all have what works for us, and if you found what works for you please leave your number one tip in the comment box below, I'd love to read it!
All this best for your final year of studying!
~
be kind.
Zoë
