Welcome to this blog on how to make time for yourself as a student!
Whether you are in high school or college, you may find it hard to make time for yourself. We all have busy schedules, filled with homework assignments, projects, sports, extracurriculars, and so much more. With so many tasks to do, meetings to attend, and more, it can be hard to find time for yourself to relax and unwind.
Your daily schedule may be filled up till the last minute with work you have to complete. Your calendar may be full of different events and meetings to make it to. And, your mind may be constantly reminding you of how busy you are, even when you are trying to relax.
If you can relate to this, you’ve come to the right place!
Being busy and being productive are two totally different concepts, however, a lot of us tend to combine these two. Being productive is working smart and letting yourself relax whenever you need to. Being busy, on the other hand, is working hard and not giving yourself breaks.
Balance is key to living a successful life. Successful people aren’t either spending their whole day working, nor are they slacking off 24/7. They are able to both work and relax, get tasks done and have fun!
It may seem like there is no time to relax and unwind, but I promise you, there is more time than you imagine there is. It is super important to take time off for yourself, as that will help you clear your head and be less stressed.
So, without further ado, here are 10 effective ways to make time for yourself as a student!
1. Learn how to manage your time
In order to make time for yourself, you must first learn how to manage your time. The more time you use productively to get work done, the more time you’ll have for yourself.
Some tips that I use for time management are:
- Using a to-do list so I know what I have to work on
- If a task takes less than 5 minutes, do it right now!
- Get rid of distractions by turning your phone off.
- Setting realistic deadlines that are not too close and not too far off.
By not procrastinating and learning how to manage your time, you’ll have much more time on your hands for you to use for yourself.
For more help on time management, check out Jacob’s blog on time management for teens in 2022!
2. Use your free time wisely
Secondly, it’s important to use your free time wisely. This is something I’ve struggled with before but learned how to fix it.
As soon as I finished all my homework or a blog, I would either go on my phone or watch TV. I thought that because I was all done with my work, I could just waste time. Yes, it was my free time; but, it was not taking time for me. Instead, I could have gone on a walk, exercised, journalled, or talked to a friend.
By immediately watching a show on Netflix or going on Instagram, I then left less time for myself to focus on myself and grow with the hobbies listed above.
After realizing this, I then started using my free time wisely for me to do the things I love and better myself.
I’m sure all of you can relate to this, so hopefully, you’ll start using your free time to work on your hobbies and focus on your self-growth!
3. Embrace the commute
Long commutes in rush hour traffic are something many of us face. As annoying as it may be, it’s a time where you’re forced to be alone with your thoughts, so use it to your advantage.
Download your favorite music, some podcasts, or an audiobook of that one book you’ve been meaning to read. If you couldn’t sit down for breakfast, pour yourself a cup of coffee for the road and eat your breakfast on the go.
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Instead of scrolling through social media apps for the whole car/bus ride, focus on yourself instead. Use your commute time to gather yourself and your thoughts so that you can be more mindful and relaxed after.
4. Wake up earlier
The idea of waking up earlier to have more time for yourself might seem counterintuitive, but it actually is a super effective technique.
All you need is to wake up just 30 minutes earlier so that you can get a jump-start on your day and have some extra “me-time.” With this extra 30 minutes, you can go for a walk/jog/run, work out, plan out your day, and/or journal!
This technique really helps me because all the days that I’ve woken up late have been unproductive as I felt as if I was too late to start doing all the things I wanted to and I didn’t feel motivated at all.
On the other hand, all the days that I’ve waken up earlier have helped me be energetic and ready to have fun in the day and enjoy.
So, try waking up 30 minutes earlier every day this coming week and see how it helps you!
5. Learn when to say “no”
People are always going to ask favors from you. It’s inevitable. Sometimes they want you to do their part of the school project and other times, they might want you to do their part of a project at work.
Regardless of where and when you’re going to get asked to do something for them, you’re going to have to learn how to respond.
Before, to live up to people’s expectations and make THEM happy, I would immediately agree. However, I realized that my time is valuable, and I should be using it for what I think is best for me.
To make more time for yourself, sometimes you have to give less time to others. This means occasionally saying no when other people are asking favors from you.
Of course, it’s beneficial to help others, but sometimes, the best thing to do is help yourself first.
6. Schedule “me” time
Most of us have only ever scheduled meetings, events, and times to work. However, we’ve never scheduled in time for us to solely focus on ourselves and work on ourselves.
By not scheduling times for you to relax and do what you enjoy besides working, then you may forget to actually take time for yourself throughout the day and catch up with your thoughts and feelings.
Instead of just scheduling in time in which you have to join a meeting or work on homework and etc., schedule in time for you to meditate, journal, go on a walk, and more.
This way, you can make time for yourself and also balance out your work-life routine!
7. Limit your to-do list
The person with the longest to-do list doesn’t win. Time management gurus such as Laura Vanderkam and Allyson Lewis suggest restricting your list to three to five items. Why so short? Better to do three items well than to attempt a dozen half-way. By prioritizing, you’re more likely to have a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment at the end of the day, and start the next one re-charged.
https://www.allbusinessschools.com/business-administration/common-questions/make-time-for-school/
If you have a to-do list of 10+ items that you know you can’t complete, you’ll spend your whole day working without taking time for yourself. Ultimately, you’ll end up stressed and burned out.
So, limit your to-do list with all the tasks you think you can actually complete in a day so that you can also give yourself time to relax and refresh!
8. Get rid of distractions
In order to make more time for yourself, you’re going to need to get rid of all your distractions. Yes, this includes your phone.
Put your phone on focus mode, shut it off, or put it in another room. Anything to get you off of it for as long as you need.
By getting rid of distractions, you can allow yourself to focus better on whatever you are working on.
You’ll be able to be done with your work faster so that you have more time for yourself. And, when you have the time for yourself, you’ll be able to use it wisely, instead of spending it on social media.
9. Avoid procrastinating
Avoiding procrastination is not an easy task. But, once you learn how to stop being a procrastinator, you’ll be forever grateful and much more appreciative of your time.
In order to avoid procrastinating, you should:
- Set deadlines
- Get rid of distractions
- Use a to-do list
- Try out the Pomodoro method!
By avoiding procrastination and getting started on work, you will have so much more time for you to focus on yourself and do what you love!
10. Make yourself a priority
Last but not least, make yourself a priority. Make sure that you are your #1 priority, not your work or school.
It’s totally okay to take breaks and give yourself time to relax whenever you need it. Do whatever you need to rejuvenize yourself!
Putting yourself first is not being selfish, it’s being generous to yourself.
Give yourself time and space for self-care, and find time to appreciate yourself for who you are and what you’ve accomplished!
The Takeaway
Making time for yourself, especially as a student, can be hard. We all have so much on our plate, and it feels like we can never actually get to what we want to do. However, it doesn’t have to be like that anymore. With these ten tips, you can not only make time for yourself, but also ensure that your work gets completed quicker:
- Learn how to manage your time
- Use your free time wisely
- Embrace the commute
- Wake up earlier
- Learn when to say “no”
- Schedule “me” time
- Limit your to-do list
- Get rid of distractions
- Avoid procrastinating
- Make yourself a priority
These 10 tips will help you make sure that not even one minute of your life gets wasted.
For more help, I highly recommend watching this video on how to make time for everything, which includes scheduling tips and more!
Also, be sure to check out this book by Daniel Walter: How to Stop Procrastinating: Powerful Strategies to Overcome Laziness and Multiply Your Time!
Do yourself a favor and try implementing a couple of these tips into your lifestyle today, tomorrow, and in the days to come. Notice how they help your productivity and mental health!
Feel free to type any questions or comments below. Hope this blog helped make a difference in having more time for yourself and to do the things you love!
