Study, Social Life, & Sleep: How to Do It All at Brock University
When you start university, you will likely hear a maxim that goes something like this: “Study, social life, or sleep — pick any two!” with an ironic “welcome to university” thrown in for dramatic effect. And there will be many moments where this feels entirely true. But take heart, Brock University students: careful time management and prioritization result in a luxurious mix of all three!
Don’t let words like “time management” and “prioritization” intimidate you. Let’s take a very practical look at how to balance those three all-important “S”s of college.
Imagine your task is to fill a beaker with boulders, rocks, pebbles, sand, and water. You have to fit everything, and well, it looks a bit impossible. So where do you start? Sand first? Rocks on the bottom?
Here’s a hint: start with the biggest items — and that’s called prioritization, by the way.
- Establish the Boulders – As the most important aspects of your schedule, you plan these first, which is important because they tend to dominate your time. Examples include: attending classes, homework, and work, if applicable
- Identify the Rocks – No less important, but generally more flexible, absorbing less of your precious time, or taking place less frequently or regularly. These fill the big holes around the boulders. Examples include: eating, exercise, showering, and sleep
- Pinpoint the Pebbles – Less important, shorter, infrequent, and not meriting daily time allowance, these fill in the half hour between class and club meetings and take priority over late-night movie marathons. Examples include: club meetings, church or community events, cleaning, and hobbies
- Select the Sand – Yes, there is more space in that beaker — this is called time management, by the way — so get to pouring that sand! Examples include: Checking Facebook, drinking a cup of coffee alone or with a friend, picking out the perfect outfit, watching a Friends episode while taking a break from homework, going on a date, walking to class instead of driving, reading a news article, calling home, and there is a lot of sand
- What’s Left is Water – Believe it or not, you can still fit more. It’s time to pour in the water: short activities that surround the other elements of your life and make it complete. Examples include: hugging a friend, sending an unexpected “hello” text, petting a dog, and stopping by a professor’s office just to say “hello” or “thank you”‘
Taking a bit of time to determine what your boulders, stones, pebbles, sand, and water are — and it is different for everyone — saves you countless hours in the coming semesters and beyond. Time management and prioritization, broken down into this system, allowing you to enjoy all three of the necessary “S”s of college: study, social life, and sleep.
