Wellbeing Week at KCLSU is all about taking time for yourself and maintaining healthy habits. We all know that students have complicated and busy schedules, but with some simple time management tips you can help to clear up your calendar and leave space to look after yourself. After all, your work will go by much more quickly if you’re running on a good night’s sleep and a healthy meal! Keep reading for tips on time management at university that promote your own wellbeing.

Keep track of deadlines

Being a university student means keeping up with multiple long-term deadlines at once. This doesn’t have to be overwhelming, though! Early on into term, it may help to make a list of when every deadline is coming up and put them on your calendar so you know when to leave yourself time to work and what to plan ahead for. Having multiple deadlines fall around the same time period (or even on the same day) can seem stressful, but by anticipating these heavy work periods and setting aside time to work early on, you’ll be able to leave yourself enough time for each assignment.

Set yourself work limits

Have you ever felt like you’ll never have done enough studying? It can be helpful to set yourself a timer and allow yourself to get work done in that period, but after that shut off your laptop, put away your uni work, and make time for yourself. This is a great way to set boundaries and make sure that you’re not working late into the night. You can work as much as you want in the time period you set for yourself, but once the timer goes off it’s time to stop!

Find methods that work for you

You’ve definitely heard the phrase ‘work smart, not hard’ before. It might be a bit of a cliché, but it’s good advice. Depending on your course, your learning style, and your environment, you’ll develop methods of working over your time at university that allow you to be at your most productive while also maintaining your own wellbeing. To do lists, for example, work well for some people, while others feel overwhelmed by them. There’s no one catch-all method of productivity, so take time to find one that works for you. This could mean anything from doing a small amount of work every day to doing a few hours of prep before each class—and the best way to develop a routine that makes you feel good is to try out new ones.

Prioritise yourself

Especially if you’re working towards a big deadline, you might feel like you have to sit down and be productive for hours on end. While this might get the job done, it’s important that you keep your own wellbeing in mind as well—the best work is done when you’re feeling relaxed, healthy, and good about yourself. Let yourself take regular breaks, schedule in a few minutes to step away from the screen, make time to go get some fresh air—your body and mind will thank you!

You can check out more wellbeing tips on the Wellbeing Hub.