Ways to Deal With Your Academic Workload

Ways to Deal With Your Academic Workload

The pressure to get good marks, combined with personal responsibilities and a job, can make your journey to your dream career very stressful. So to help you take care of your mental health, here are some ways to deal with your academic workload:

• Prioritise
• Get rid of distractions
• Skim through the readings
• Get help
• Break tasks up into sections
• Don’t procrastinate
• Stick to a routine
• Think twice about choosing extra classes

Prioritise

Prioritising means you have to do your tasks in order of importance. Make a daily list of tasks that need to be done. Keep in mind that your studies should always come first. Have an exam on Monday morning? Then you might want to skip your weekly Sunday movie night with your friends so that you have enough time to study. 

Get rid of Distractions

You knew this tip was coming, right? But you’ll get so much done if you find a quiet place to study. Put away your cell phone and steer clear of social media while you do your assignments. If you’re studying online, make use of apps to block you from websites that could distract you. 

Skim Through the Readings

If you’re a tertiary student, your lecturers will give you a bunch of readings to do before class. The readings help you understand the course material. If you have time, you should definitely read them thoroughly. But if you don’t, skimming works best. To skim read successfully, you need to know what the main idea is first. So make sure to pay attention to what your lecturer says.  

Get Help

A heavy academic workload is already tough. What could make it worse is if you’re struggling to understand the study material. If this is the case, you should definitely ask for help. Reach out to your lecturer, tutor or even fellow classmates. You might be surprised at how willing they are to lend a hand. 

Break Tasks up Into Sections

Have an essay due? Well you’ll feel very overwhelmed if you try to write it all in one day. Spread the essay writing out over a few days, and make time for your other coursework too. You won’t feel as burdened by your workload if you alternate between tasks throughout the day. This is because you won’t be forcing your brain to focus on one subject for long periods of time.  

Don’t Procrastinate

It can be very difficult to stop procrastinating and focus on studying. But this is the key to getting things done. Procrastinating can make your academic workload pile up, which can cause you more stress. Doing your work last minute also increases your chances of submitting work that is below standard. Make sure to start early so you can give yourself enough time to complete all your tasks. 

Stick to a Routine

Having a structure helps you stay organised. Routines are one of the top habits of successful people. It helps get your mind and body into the habit of being productive. Sticking to a routine means you’ll wake up every day knowing exactly what to do and when to do it. This also prevents you from the stress that comes with not knowing where to start with all your tasks. 

Think Twice About Choosing Extra Classes

Don’t register for more modules than needed to finish your course. This can be tough if you’re a student who loves learning and wants to soak up as much knowledge as possible. But the classes will only become more challenging as you move along. If you can’t decide which subjects to drop, speak to a course expert at your university or college.