How to nail your study–life balance

Finding a healthy balance between study and the rest of your life can be tricky. Sometimes you might feel like you need to dedicate all your time to studying, and other times you might find yourself too busy to hit the books. 

But keeping a balance between study, social life, work, hobbies, exercise and other commitments is super important, because it’s key to keeping your stress levels down, preventing burnout and achieving your study goals. Here are some tips for nailing it. 

Plan your time 

Planning your schedule in advance will help you to carve out enough time for all the important things in your life. It will also limit the amount of time you spend procrastinating and help you to avoid overcommitting to any one area. 

Make your schedule visual by using a calendar to keep track of your assessment deadlines and exam dates over the whole year. Then use our weekly schedule for a more detailed breakdown of how you’ll allocate your time to studying and everything else you want to do

Remember: planning ahead doesn’t mean you can’t go with the flow. As exams get closer, you might feel the need to put in some extra study hours. Other times, you might need to do less to suit how you’re feeling or if something unexpected comes up. In these cases, it’s still handy to have an organised schedule so you can easily see what can be moved around or pushed back. 

For more tips, check out these long-term and daily strategies for managing your time while studying.

Set boundaries

Keeping a balance means knowing what limits you need to set for yourself so you don’t overdo it in any one part of your life. Here are some ideas: 

• Learn to say ‘no’. It might be hard to turn down an invite to hang out with friends, but if you explain it will take away from your limited study time, chances are they’ll be cool with it.

• Chat to your boss. If you have a casual or part-time job, let your manager know in advance that you might need to take some time off work or reduce your number of shifts.

• Create a study space. This could be a dedicated space at home or in other ‘study only’ zones like the library.

• Limit distractions. Chuck your phone on ‘Do not disturb’ mode while you’re studying, and let people at home know when you don’t want to be interrupted.

• Know your focus limits. There’s only so much you can do during a single study session or over the course of a week, before it starts to feel too draining and you lose focus.

• Set a switch-off time. Make sure to set a time at the end of the day for when you switch off from studying and start winding down for bed.

Make time for self-care 

It can be easy to let your self-care slip when you’re busy studying. But it’s so important for your mental and physical health to create time for the things that make you feel good and that you love doing. Here are three ways to get back to basics.

1.  Put sleep first

Everyone’s sleep needs are different, but if you can regularly get 8–10 hours a night, you’ll have more energy during the day and likely be better focused and more productive. A good night’s sleep also improves your memory and can boost your grades.

If stress is making it harder to fall (and stay) asleep, start by reassessing your sleep hygiene. This is all about the things you can do to set the stage for quality sleep every night. They include sticking to a sleep schedule, getting into a nightly routine, creating a good sleep environment, and building healthy habits into your day. Check out our guide to getting a good night’s sleep, where we go through these strategies in more detail.

2. Move your body

Regularly exercising is another way to stay energised (and to improve your sleep quality). While 30 minutes each day is recommended, you’ll feel the benefits of any increase in movement. If you’re struggling with motivation, here are some tips:

• Find an activity that you enjoy and look forward to. Check these ideas to get started.  

• Exercise with a friend, whether that’s playing a team sport or just going for a walk together.

• Combine study with movement by doing some exercises at a stand-up desk, if you have one. Or, go for a walk while listening to a recording of your notes or a podcast on one of the topics you’re learning about.

3. Do things that make you happy

Self-care is also about doing things just because you enjoy them and they put you in a good mood. So, even though you might have less time for your hobbies, include them in your study schedule anyway – it’ll give you something to look forward to. 

And don’t forget to make time for catching up with friends. Chances are they’re also feeling stressed with study, so check in with each other and do something fun to take your focus off studying for a while.

Keep in mind that assessments and exams come around in ‘seasons’. They can be intense, but they’re not permanent and you’ll have more time for the things that make you happy again once they’ve passed.

Recognise and prevent burnout

If your approach to study and life has been out of whack for a while, check in with how you’re feeling. If you feel drained a lot of the time, you might be heading towards burnout. This is when you’re so stressed you become completely exhausted and unmotivated to study or engage in other parts of your life. You might also: 

• feel empty or lacking in emotion

• be easily irritated by things that usually wouldn’t bother you

• feel tense around family and friends, or find yourself withdrawing from them.

You can take this quiz to see if you’re burning out.

Setting boundaries and making time for self-care can help to prevent burnout. Here are some other strategies for managing stress:

• breathing techniques

• muscle relaxation techniques

• avoiding alcohol, drugs and too much caffeine

• talking about how you’re feeling with someone you trust, or anonymously in the ReachOut Online Community or with a peer worker.

Know your supports

Studying can get really intense at times, but you don’t have to navigate it on your own. Whenever you’re finding it hard to maintain a healthy study–life balance, talk about it with your friends, family, teacher or someone else you trust. 

Just having someone listen to you can make you feel better, but it’s also an opportunity to hear someone else’s perspective on the situation, which may help you to start tackling it one step at a time. Here are some tips for talking to someone you trust about a problem you’re facing.

If informal support from family and friends isn’t enough, you can also get support from a professional. Chat to a counsellor through school or uni, ask your GP for a referral, or check one of these free or low-cost options.