Being in university means that the world is your oyster, and because Queen’s is very well-known as a “party school,” it feels like that phrase is emphasized to a whole new degree. There is something to do every weekend, whether it’s a small get-together with some friends, a birthday party, or a fun night out; being in university is busy and that is just on top of the mounds of schoolwork that needs to be completed.
As someone who struggles with FOMO and just saying “no” in general, this is a blessing and a curse. But, it has also forced me to stay on top of my work (as much as I can) and develop a new mindset when it comes to having a school-life balance. It certainly isn’t easy, and I of course want to preface that the study habits that work for me are not going to work for everyone. But some of these skills and habits have helped me with completing work well, on time, and with time left over to spend a few hours with friends!
The whole strategy relies on having a plan and committing to it. For example, if I know that I have a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night, I am going to do everything in my power to complete any work that needs to be done by Saturday before then. By making these commitments, I have no choice but to sit down, get rid of all distractions, and work on my assignment. I cannot express the number of times I have been to Tumble Tuesday just because I needed to get work done; so if I make the plan to go, then I need to complete enough work that makes it okay to go to Ale on a weekday.
I’ve found that the main issue with my procrastination is in the fact that A) I’ve finished assignments last minute before and done well, so why can’t I do it again?, and B) I have all this time before the deadline, so I don’t need to start working until later. Even on assignments that are due at 11:59pm! I’ll get a bit of work done in the morning, procrastinate until like 9:00pm because “I still have all night!” and then cram in those last three hours.
Making plans is like creating a soft deadline that isn’t so soft. Realistically, I’m not going to cancel the plans to work (I will if necessary, but I won’t be happy about it), so I need to get my work done in advance. Just yesterday, I was working on an assignment due at midnight when my friend asked me if I wanted to watch a movie that same night. Suddenly, I put my phone away and finished the assignment with time to spare!
As a hardcore people-pleaser and procrastinator, I’ve found this is a strategy that works for me. By having my school work around my plans, rather than my plans work around my school, I maximize the amount of time spent both having fun and studying hard.
I honestly think that is one of the most important things to remember about university. As assignments and studying build up, it’s important to remember that weekends are still a time to relax, and you deserve to take a break. As a third-year student, these four years do go by so quickly. So, take time to make memories and build those relationships with the people around you. There are so many strategies to make sure that you get that socialization time every week, and this is one way I like to go about doing it.