The lull between semesters is a great time to set new goals based on your successes and challenges. For next semester, make one of your goals to avoid burnout. Not only will this mean you perform better academically, you’ll also enjoy your time at university and be less likely to suffer from physical health problems. Here are some tips to guide you.
1. Keep Your Thoughts Positive
It’s easy to always want to do better and to beat yourself up when you fail to meet your own expectations. However, this is unhelpful and won’t motivate you to do better next time. Instead, cut yourself some slack — focus on what you did do well and how you can improve going forward.
Similarly, you may feel guilty if you spend your time unproductively. It’s important to remember you need — and deserve — a break, especially at weekends. Although you may have a large amount of homework and need to earn an income, it’s still important to socialize and take time for yourself.
2. Focus on One Thing at Once
Students are often told to multitask to fit everything they need to do into their schedule — but this is bad advice. By splitting your attention across more than one task, you give yourself unnecessary stress and actually become less productive. Pick one task at a time and stick with it. This may mean you need to prioritize or even cut some activities out of your schedule.
3. Stick to Scheduled Work and Study Times
Block out time to study outside of your classes and try to only study during these blocks. Make sure you designate enough time — that way, the rest of your week can be for other activities.
Take a similar approach to work if you have a part-time job or internship. Ideally, you should never bring work home with you and only respond to messages from your manager and coworkers during work hours (unless it’s something urgent, such as about changing shifts).
4. Have a Routine
In addition to blocking out time for studies and work, create routines for the rest of your week. For instance, you may like to exercise at the same time each day, go out with friends every Friday night, and create morning and bedtime routines. It’s also worth finding time for daily meditation. These sessions only need to be a few minutes long — they’re great for reminding yourself of what matters and calming down your mind when your thoughts are racing.
5. Set an Intention
You could use a meditation session at the start of the day to set an intention. It should be something that will improve your life and move you closer to your goals. In addition to an intention for the day, you may like to set a larger intention for the whole week.
Another way to avoid burnout is to live near campus to avoid a long commute. Foundry First is offering student accommodation located just steps from Fanshawe College. Plus, we have some great onsite amenities to improve your student experience, including a fitness center, movie theater, and ping pong table. Contact us to secure a room.
