Getting More Leisure Time Without Harming Academic Performance

By Stephen Mehler

Judd Apatow said, “College is the reward for surviving high school. Most people have great, fun stories from college, and nightmare stories from high school.” He might be right about high school, but it’s difficult to create those great stories in college when you are constantly studying.

For many college students, stress and lack of downtime is a real issue. Sure, if you attend a ‘party school’ you might have plenty of time for relaxation and recreation. However, if you are at a school known for academic challenges or you are in a particularly rigorous program, you may not be getting the downtime that you need.

The main challenge is that you can’t simply study less. You can’t skip out on lectures, and you certainly can’t expect your fellow students to take up your slack on group projects. So, what can you do to reduce your stress levels, get more leisure time, and maintain excellent academic progress? Keep reading, and you will learn a few important strategies.

Stop Wasting Time

Isn’t the whole point to have more time to waste? Not really. This is about spending leisure time. Think in terms of engaging in hobbies, socializing, even actively resting. Try keeping track of your activities over a few days. How many minutes do you spend each day studying, going to class, engaging in hobbies that you enjoy, and relaxing? Even more important, how many minutes per day are you spending engaging in activities that are neither productive or enjoyable?

There is a saying that if something is neither beautiful or useful to you, it is time to get rid of it. It’s time to apply the same philosophy to the way you choose to spend your time. It may not be study time that is the biggest thief of joy in your life. It could be the time that you are simply wasting.

Get Organized

Write to-do lists. Make plans. Double check your schedule. Clean off your desk, and purge files from your computer. Get your emails organized. Relegate junk mail to spam, and hide irritating people from your Facebook feed (we know you aren’t going to block them).

 

The better organized you are, the less time you have to spend doubling back to respin your plates and pick up on things that you have forgotten about. You will also stop spending mental energy on tasks that should be a part of your cognitive or muscle memory.

Stay on Top of Your Writing Assignments

If you can triumph over your essays, research papers, term papers, lab reports, and other writing assignments, you can reclaim lots of lost leisure time. They key is to stay on top of things. The best way to do that is to take advantage of some tools and resources that are available to you:

 

• Evernote – Use this app to take and organize research notes and to collaborate with other students on group assignments.
• Grammarly – Download Grammarly to perform a thorough spelling and grammar check on your papers.
• WiseMapping – This mind mapping tool is excellent for helping you to explore the topic of your writing assignments and your ideas.
• Pomodoro Timer – Stay focused by using the Pomodoro timer. You will work in 25-minute bursts and optimize your productivity.

Balance Your Classes if You Can

When you sign up for classes, take into consideration how much time you will need to spend outside of class studying. Some people say that you should plan to spend as much time studying as you spend in each class every week. Unfortunately, that really doesn’t add up.

For example, if you are taking organic chemistry you should plan on studying for several hours each week. On the other hand, if you are taking an art elective that is intended for non-art students to meet their art class requirement, you may not have to study outside of class at all.

If you can, try to take a balance of intensive courses with some that are a bit easier. If you can ease up a little bit, you might free up some more leisure time.

Conclusion

Academics are important. There is no doubt about that. On the other hand, it’s important to remember that in order to be a happy, contributing member of society you have to live a well-balanced life. If you have no leisure time, miss out on important college experiences, and are constantly under pressure, that’s no way to live a healthy life. Use the tips in this article, and you will carve out more leisure time for yourself, while still maintaining high academic standards. When you graduate you will have the benefit of good grades, and valuable life experience.

Steven Mehler is an experienced writer, SEO expert and social psychologist that works as a freelance writer at EvoEssay.com and an editor at a local newspaper