University stress: 5 tips to help you manage your work more efficiently

On a recent Instagram poll, we asked what was on your mind and you told us that you were overwhelmed with uni work.

After the poll, we asked our students to share some advice to help others manage their university workload during this challenging time.

Here are the top five tips that were shared with us:

Routine

Set up a structured and clear routine that works for you.

By setting up a routine, this will allow you to structure your day and manage your workload much more efficiently.

Take breaks

All work and no play…  If you overwork yourself the chances are you are going to become demotivated and tired.

As part of your routine, make sure you take well-earned breaks and do something you really enjoy, whether that might be going for a run, watching Netflix, having a coffee with friends, or reading – it is so important to give yourself a break.

Don’t deny yourself of that.

Take it day by day, organisation is key

It’s easy to get fixated by the end goal and it can become very overwhelming thinking about it.

Don’t think of your goal as one big project, break it down into smaller, achievable tasks.

Set yourself goals every day, keep a diary and stick to them.  All of a sudden that mountain won’t seem quite so high any more.

Start coursework asap

Don’t leave any assignments or coursework to the last minute.

The earlier you get started, the easier it will be.

Although, it is so easy to say ‘I’ll start tomorrow’, don’t put it off any longer - your future self will thank you for it!

Stay focused

Throw the phone away.  

It’s easy to get distracted, we’ve all been there.

A one-minute check on Twitter or Instagram can disrupt your workflow and derail your chain of thought, making it much longer to get back into work.

The more distractions you have, the longer your work is going to take, and the longer it takes, the more stressed you will become.

Put the phone away and pick it up again on your breaks.

If you are finding student life difficult, please reach out to our Student Wellbeing team.