Balancing uni work with your social life

Making friends is one of the most important parts of uni, but it's easy to forget what you’re actually here for.

The pressure of finding your ‘friends for life’ whilst juggling a degree can get a little difficult- let alone managing anything else you might have going on.

If you’re finding that balancing your studies with your FOMO is getting a bit much, here’s some advice on how to juggle both…

1. Study sessions
Study sessions are a great way to kill two birds with one stone. You can get some work done whilst also spending time with others. If you can do this with people studying the same things as you are then even better as this gives you a chance to support each other with your work. You can go to the library together, or just hold a flat study session, whatever's best.

2. Get organised 
Organising your workload is key to getting a good work-life balance going on. If you don't know what you need to do, or when you need to do it, work gets difficult to manage. Things like work schedules and to-do lists allow for more effective study sessions, which in turn frees up time to do other things like spending time with friends, guilt-free.

3. Make some time for yourself
Whilst trying to balance everything, it can be easy to forget about making time for yourself. Taking time for some self-care is really important and gives you a chance to de-stress and re-energise which is again vital for studying but also for charging your social battery.

4. Think of different ways to spend time with friends
Walking to uni and making dinner are things you need to do anyway. So why not just do them with a friend? If you're going to the gym, try finding a gym buddy. If you’re going to lectures, try getting to know people on your course so you can walk in with other people. On the surface, finding time for socialising with friends might be difficult but finding ways of seeing others around things you do day-to-day takes the pressure off.

In many ways, uni life is one big balancing act. Learning how to juggle what feels like a mountain of different things to do is always going to be challenging. Bear in mind that learning to adjust takes time and in time you’ll find a routine that suits you. Eventually, things will begin to fall in place and you'll find a balance without even having to think about it.