There are so many things you need to juggle when you’re a student, from studying and writing papers to staying up-to-date on social media and planning events with your friends. It can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the demands on your time, but there are plenty of ways to stay organized even if you have a very busy schedule. We put together this list of five problems students face and some helpful tips to help you overcome them!
1) Getting started
There are many obstacles that may be in the way of your academic success. I can attest to this because I am currently a student myself, fighting through these problems on a daily basis. As you will soon find out, we can conquer these roadblocks by addressing them head-on instead of running away from them.
2) Staying motivated
Motivation is a big part of staying productive in the day-to-day grind. However, even the most diligent student can find themselves in a slump. In this blog post, we’ll cover five common problems that students have and how you can overcome them.
1)Procrastination — First, try to eliminate all distractions from your workspace by turning off your computer, closing your email inbox, or moving somewhere where you won’t be easily distracted.
2) Lack of time management skills — You’re not alone if you feel like you never have enough time in the day to get everything done. Keep a timer with you at all times, set alarms on your phone, and establish deadlines for projects so that they don’t seem as daunting. Additionally, try prioritizing tasks into must-do’s, should do’s, and want-to-do’s to know which tasks are more important than others. Finally, make sure to take breaks every few hours throughout the day in order to recharge your mind and body.
3) Avoiding distractions
Email, Instagram, Twitter, texting — it’s hard to stay focused on school work when there are many distractions. So how do you avoid getting sidetracked by social media? It may be helpful to create a designated time each day when you can respond to messages or peruse your feed. This way, you have an allotted time that doesn’t disrupt your schoolwork schedule.
This is a huge challenge for students. The easiest way to stop distractions is to avoid the things that distract you in the first place. If you know what they are, make sure they’re not on your computer or phone. However, distractions don’t have to be something physically happening around you — they can also be thoughts popping into your head while studying. Your best bet is to find a calming way of thinking about these thoughts that aren’t actually important so that you can go back into focus on what’s at hand.
4) Managing time wisely
For many students, time management is a never-ending struggle. As most know, balancing school, work, hobbies, social life, and self-care requires expert skills in time management. Yet the first step is realizing that it’s an issue that needs solving. With the right approach, breaking the problem down into manageable tasks will help immensely.
One strategy is to set weekly goals and write them down on paper or your phone calendar as visual reminders of what you need to do throughout the week. Another method is creating a list of habits that will help you manage your time well in advance. And finally, turn off notifications on your phone so you can focus when needed!
5) Being self-motivated
The issue with being a self-motivated student is that it takes up a lot of time for seemingly nothing. You have to decide what you’re going to do, have it planned out, and actually follow through on the tasks at hand, but in the end, you won’t see any kind of reward. It can be difficult to stay productive without seeing results immediately, but if you want success — even if it’s one step at a time — then do whatever you need in order to keep yourself motivated.
Try following your own deadlines or joining an organization where you feel appreciated. Also, try setting smaller goals and working towards them so when you reach them they’ll seem like more of an accomplishment.