So, you’re back at school or university and your to-do list is gradually getting longer and longer. Oh the joys. Managing workload can be pretty tough, especially when you’re trying to balance a job and a social life too, so we’ve come up with 5 awesome tips to give you a hand with this!

1. List and prioritise

Before you begin any study session, always make yourself a brief list of what you’ve got to do. Not only does this mean you can clearly see what tasks you have, but it also allows you to prioritise them from most to least urgent. I know it can be difficult to decide which task is the least important, but if you’ve got a lot of work to do and not much time, this will be very helpful! ‌

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2. Set time limits

When you’re in school or university, it always seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day to get through all of your work. If you sit down to study with absolutely no idea of when you want to have a task done, you’re probably going to be less productive as you don’t have anything to work towards. “I want to have completed half of my essay in 1 hour” is an example of a good motivator. Try it!

3. Give multitasking a miss

As tempting as it can be to try and get everything done at once, don’t do it. Trying to focus your attention on lots of different things at the same time is extremely counterproductive and won’t help you to manage your workload. Flicking to a new task then back to an old task will take its toll, as your mind needs to keep adjusting to your new area of focus, so just take things one at a time. Multitasking isn’t always a good thing!

4. Be realistic

Being realistic is one of the best ways to manage your workload. If you know you can’t physically do all of it in a certain time, don’t stress yourself out by trying to cram, instead just take your time, think, and do what you can. Being unrealistic and cramming is only going to result in poor quality work, lots of mistakes and you probably won’t understand the work anyway as you haven’t had time to take it all in properly. What’s the point in that? Exactly. Plus, everyone in your class or on your course will be in the same situation.

5. Ask for help

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, talk this through with somebody. Whether that be your teacher or lecturer, it will be so worth it. By explaining your situation, it makes it possible for you to get the upper hand on your work, as teachers and lecturers are trained professionals who can help and support you. Don’t feel embarrassed by saying that you’re struggling to cope, it won’t be the first time they’ve heard it, and it certainly won’t be the last. Don’t suffer in silence, make the most of the people around you!