Can You Do It All?- My First Blog at University

Can you do it all? The short answer is no, the long answer is there isn't a lot of point in doing it all regardless. It's tempting when starting out at a new university to try and do it all. Here's a blog about why you shouldn't. 

After starting university in late September, I spent the first few weeks trying to sign up to every opportunity, join every society and go out clubbing every night. Was it fun at first? Of course it was! Who doesn't love cocktails and meeting new people who happen to be your next door neighbours now? But it just wasn't sustainable, and because of this it very quickly became exhausting and overwhelming. It took me taking a step back and reassessing to realise that trying to do everything is actually counter-productive. 

Now yes, it's important to make the most of opportunities. Especially in university, it's a time of learning and new opportunities and experiences like no other. But if you sign up to 5 back-to-back webinars vaguely related to your industry after getting two hours sleep the night before because you wanted to bond with flatmates (speaking from experience), the last few webinars may end up being ignored or slept through. Instead- prioritise! Don't sign up to every single thing, read about events and what you can gain from them and prioritise attending those that benefit you personally. 

Secondly: societies! I joined about five societies when I started, which may sound like a lot, but hear me out. Societies are great for social aspects and some of them can also help build your experience and CV in certain subjects or industries. Most university societies won't expect you to be able to make everything, so if you find an interesting society- join it! Just don't feel obliged to attend every social, be a little selfish and make sure you get a good balance of work, socialising and you time. 

Now I could ramble on about taking on too much all day- it's practically a hobby of mine- but I think the best thing I could end this blog with would be a last bit of advice. Organise. Yes it's obvious. Yes it's super important so I'm gonna say it again anyway. Get three things; an academic diary, a calendar to display in your room and a to do list (can be an app or notebook):

1. Academic diary- these are an absolute lifesaver when it comes to organising your schedule and making sure you don't double book or miss out on useful events. Typo does some great diaries which provide calendar spreads at the start of each month, meaning you can quickly scan which dates you're free or busy, and then make notes like what to bring to a meeting or themes for certain socials on the individual day. 

2. A calendar- this is a great way to keep on top of assignments, group projects and deadlines. This sort of thing varies from course to course but most degrees are full of deadlines and assessments that are super easy to lose track of. Hang up a calendar, colour code it and check it everyday. You'll thank me later!

3. A to do list- if your course is anything like mine the work will be piling up already, and it can get overwhelming and chaotic if you start to fall behind. Make lists everyday of tasks you need to get done, even include things like your weekly shop, changing your bedsheets or cleaning your bathroom. Check the list and tick off everything you manage to do, anything you don't you can just roll over to the next day. It won't reduce the amount of work (it isn't a magic to do list), but it will make it a hell of a lot easier to cope with the workload. 

I hope this blog helps you juggle it all a bit better, but the main point I'm trying to get across is don't feel bad for not being able to do it all. We're all human, we have limits and there are only so many hours in a day. University is about getting a degree, but its also about making lifelong friendships, creating memories you'll cherish forever and starting out on the exciting new journey of being an adult. Enjoy it!