April 11, 2017, by Shweta

The Juggling Student: Maintaining a Work-Life Balance Over Easter Break

Work-life balance.

I think I speak for every student out there when I say that we’ve all been plagued by those words before. It’s the dreaded balance between work and play; between due dates and dinner dates. The concept is seemingly hardest to grasp now that we’re a week into Easter break. For those of you who are struggling to get out of bed at a decent hour and get any work done, this post is for you! Be warned though, I, myself have been procrastinating quite heavily off late.

 

First off, RELAX. I know this seems like very counter-productive advice but it would be extremely hypocritical if I said this wasn’t my main agenda this holiday season. After a tough semester, we all deserve a little break. Stay in bed for another hour. Enjoy the sunshine at the beach. Play with your dogs and stuff your face with some of mom’s cooking. I know I’ll be doing just that!

When I’m not studying (which is most of the time), I spend time with my dogs.

Unfortunately, we all know that there’s plenty of work to do. With finals coming up, Easter break is the perfect time to get some focused studying done. While it may be difficult to ignore the many distractions back home, don’t forget to spend a few hours each day keeping up with your course. Planning ahead of time will help you structure your revision so that you don’t get stressed later.

 

As a medical student, I am no stranger to how taxing it can be to work, especially when you could be out with family or friends. However, making studying fun could ease the pain just a little. Be it treating yourself after a few hours of hard studying or making colourful notes with funny anecdotes, find what works for you and stick to it.

Sticky notes are a great way to make revision a little less boring and a little more colourful.

Finally, don’t beat yourself up for letting loose every now and then. It’s completely alright to skip those lectures for a day or two if you catch up after. And no, I’m not just saying this because I’ve been skipping out on my books for a few days now.

 

Before you know it, a month would have flown by and you’ll be on your way back to Notts, hopefully confident for the upcoming exam season.

 

Good luck and have a fantastic break xx

Shweta

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