University is about deadlines, learning and independence. You’re either needing balance because you work too much or don’t know where to start when scheduling. This article will outline the importance of planning and reflecting for your mental and physical health.  

The most important thing to do BEFORE planning your week is to reflect on the previous week, what didn’t work, what worked well, “how are my priorities different this week?”. For example, last week it was a friend’s birthday so that was a priority. This week, I need to schedule more work time to catch up. “Oh, that means I can just sacrifice sleep.” … NO! Sleep should always be priority. You can’t work well on 2 hours of sleep because you decided to go to the valley a day before the assignment is due. The Valley isn’t going anywhere, but with that attitude, your GPA is. 

Before you start planning work, life and Uni, find your learning style and base your planning method on that. If you are a tactile learner, have your schedule on post-it notes on the wall or on a whiteboard. Repetition is the main way auditory learners memorize things so reading out your schedule to yourself or writing down a weekly and daily to-do list will help you stay mindful of deadlines. Visual learners can use time blocking whether in your diary with pretty colours or on online calendars like Google. This is my personal favourite because you can colour code it based on what part of your life the item contributes to. 

 Talking about parts of life, keeping them balanced. The general rule is 8 hours of work, 8 hours of fun, 8 hours of sleep. However, this isn’t realistic. As Uni students, we are studying, working our part time jobs, binging comfort shows while we question our life choices and socialising. So, putting these things into account and utilizing self-reflection, you should be able to weigh your priorities like catching up on study or study more this week, so you don’t feel guilty socialising more the week after.  

Eating and sleeping are the most important things to prioritise when scheduling and keeping these consistent (meaning going to bed at the same time every day and eating meals at assigned times) is paramount. I’ve heard many students forget to eat, eat while studying or only snack through the day. This can affect your appetite in the long term, and you may not be getting balanced nutrients that you need to support your immune system and perform at your best.  Life is all about balance and as Uni students that are new to adulting, it’s a whole new realm compared to high school because no one’s holding our hands anymore.