Ah, time. Where does it go!? – Bella

Transitioning from high school to uni is a huge change – not only intellectually, but in many other aspects of your life.

I’m really good at using my time effectively and I will share some tips in this post. It’s really important at uni to be able to keep track of multiple deadlines, know how to work ‘smarter not longer’, and schedule extra time for travel.

While completing year 12, I had two part time jobs, leadership responsibility, dance, social activities… I am grateful because I had practice managing and organizing my life, before the big first semester of uni!

Tip 1: Blocks

Finding little (or large) ‘blocks’ of time is so beneficial. I use my 40 minute train ride to study, make lists of what I need to do for assignments, and plan ideas for these blog posts. If you get to uni half an hour early, use that time to research an area you’re learning about to give you more context for that first lecture of the day. It also turns your brain on ready to absorb more information. In my year 12 studies last year, because I had limited time after school due to leadership responsibilities/dance/part-time jobs – I got to school about 45 minutes early each day to study. I am also using this technique 3 days a week at uni (Mondays I like to sleep in!)

Tip 2: Prioritising

Make a list of everything you need to get done – make sure these are small tasks like “read text 1 for Reason essay” as opposed to “write 2000 word Reason essay”. Small tasks are way more manageable and give you a sense of direction. Be specific! Then, put these tasks in order of what needs to be accomplished first to last… have a look at your timetable to see what needs to be done by tomorrow first. Then look to the future – if you’ve got a test coming up, do a little bit of studying.

Tip 3: Acceptance

I put this one in because I have had experienced feeling extremely overwhelmed and stressed at the amount I’ve had to do. It is important to accept a) that you’re not a machine and cannot work for 12 hours a day and b) to fit the important things in, you might have to give some things up. For example, it’s better to reschedule coffee with a friend for next week, rather than squeeze it in, and be worried the whole time about your assignment due in a few days.

Thanks for reading. Hope everyone enjoyed Week 8!

Bella 🙂