Looking for some tips on how I can do decently for my studies in school without sacrificing my time with friends and family. I have been sacrificing my sleep to keep up with schoolwork and to leave some time for my family and friends but I don’t think this is sustainable in the long-run as I feel myself getting burnt out - how do all of you cope with your studies and your social life?
hi I feel you here. I think the college triangle where you can choose academics, social life or sleep applies (and I believe you chose the first 2). but here’s my 2 cents ah:
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set boundaries for your time. Often I would be in a social gathering and would be tempted to stay longer even though I still have yet to study for next day’s lesson. I try to set a hard deadline for myself to leave my social group even though I feel bad. I think this helps because often we would find ourselves losing pockets of time due to our procrastination and inertia.
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find efficient ways of studying bah. I personally use flashcards to study, but I recommend any method that uses active recall and spaced repetition will be time efficient. you can find that out here: Spaced Repetition: How To Remember Everything You Learn.
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hey, first of all this is a common issue faced by many and i’m glad you’re looking to take active steps for it!
it can be tough trying to juggle heavy academic workload alongside social commitments but one thing i tell myself is to set a priority that changes with external circumstances (ie. deadlines, personally important dates). as exams come up, it may be okay for social commitments to take a step back, but when exams are over, studies can take a step back! planning ahead is also important to not feel overwhelmed juggling many things at a time. it can give you a sense of clarity that certain things are going to happen and going to be completed.
at the end of the day, we are only human with 24 hours in a day. it’s important for us to take care of ourselves as we try to juggle our everyday commitments. hope this helps! 
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hi icelemontea! as a uni student as well, I totally feel the same way. I tend to prioritise my studies over spending quality time with family and friends and even sleep. As a result, I often feel like I neglect my personal relationships for the sake of creating more accomplishments + achievements.
For me, I realised that I tend to prioritise my studies because I seek a lot of validation from my achievements + grades. I think that’s also how the “meritocratic” SG education system groomed us to think: that our value lies in our tangible achievements. Achievements that can be measured on a metric.
However, ive been trying to attach less of my personal value on my tangible achievements, and place more value on my personal relationships as well. I think it’s easy to be blinded by the collective worshipping of grades in SG, but I think it’s also very impt to realise that we grow and learn a lot from our personal relationships as well!
hence i try to set aside the weekends to hang out with friends and family, and work harder in the weekdays! also i try not to put too much stress on myself for my academics- as long as I know I did my best, I know that there’s nothing more I can do to make the result better! Trust yourself, trust your hardwork and don’t discredit yourself!
Anyway, life is short, we have a limited time alive! I also remind myself that when I’m on my deathbed, the things that I would remember/ cherish are the times I spent with people and not my achievements! That makes me feel more grounded + reminds me to value quality time with my loved ones too!
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I do struggle myself too! Really amazed how those dean listers do it while holding posts in their CCA.
What works for me:
- Priority list and have a mental allocation of time for the tasks
- Always some me-time!
- Dont accumulate too much sleep debt! Bad for health.
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Many good tips given by the community but I’d like to introduce the concept of diminishing value of returns (for studying).
At some point in time, you’ll find that an extra hour put into studying will not yield the same results. For eg, your first hour of studying will get you a C grade then your second and third hours of studying will get you a B grade. But to get an A, maybe you need an extra 5 hours of studying.
This is where you need to determine which generates most returns and satisfaction for you - 5 hours to move from a grade B to A or 5 hours with your friends and family?
I personally try to find that equilibrium in everything I do and maximize my time investment.
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I found having a time helpful table. I have those good old calendars in our grandparent’s kitchen hung on the wall. I use a monthly one so that I will check all the submission dates and activities I have planned for the month and write them down. It can be a cca, dental appointment, or even an outing with friends. I find this useful as it gives me a rough outline of what I need to accomplish. The key to this is to always factor in extra time and not overpack your schedule. Hope this helps :))
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i’m not the person that posted this, but your comments make sense and i’ll try to use it!
Always have a personal priority list to keep your tasks and work on track. Allocate “Me-time” where you hang out with friends or family or just spend some alone time as it will help for you to destress and relax. “Me-time” does not always have to be on the same day or an every week occurrence. Have it at least once a month. This will also help to keep your mental health safe as you pace yourself and relax. Lastly, sleep well as much as possible. If possible only sleep late on Fridays and Saturdays by doing whatever work or assignment that is not urgent during these nights or spend it outside with family and friends. Get around 6 hours of sleep for the other 5 days if possible. Hope this helps!
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