Study Smarter, Live Better: How I Found Balance Between Hustle and Headspace

By Alex Birch

Many people struggle to find a healthy balance between studying hard and making time for themselves. From the outside, it may seem like no one else is struggling with their studies, but don’t panic, you are not alone.

A common mistake students make is waiting until exam season to start studying. In reality, you need to begin well before that stressful crunch time. This practice of last-minute “cramming” creates a self-sustaining cycle of stress: you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work, yet guilty for taking any kind of break, fearing you’re “not doing enough.”

So, what’s the solution? Preparation.

Here’s what I did at the beginning of the year to carve out more time for myself:

First, as soon as the academic year started, I looked at all the coursework and exams I’d need to complete. This allowed me to estimate how long each task would take. Depending on whether you’re focusing on exams or coursework, there are two different approaches to consider:

For exams:

• Create a Google Doc of the reading list for all the topics covered in the module.

• Commit to reading for just 30 minutes a day, working through the material in the order the module presents it.

• Ideally, start this habit before the academic year even begins, right after the previous exam season if possible.

When lectures start, the content delivered will be a consolidation of your prior knowledge, while most others will be hearing it for the first time. This gives you a much stronger grasp of the material and frees you from the last-minute stress that often forces students to sacrifice their free time and mental health.

Of course, you’ll still need to review and study more intensively closer to exams, but with this head start, you’ll have the freedom to be more relaxed about your study hours thanks to the groundwork you laid months in advance.

For coursework, here’s how I managed my workload so I wasn’t overwhelmed by lab reports and presentations:

First, get all your coursework due dates as early as possible and organize them chronologically from nearest to furthest. Use a spreadsheet or Word document to keep track.

Next, determine whether any assignments require additional clarification from lecturers. For example, I once had to create a visual presentation on how humans process sensory information. Since the module focused on sensory perception, I needed to wait for the relevant lectures to start. However, I picked one of the first topics covered, giving me a full month to plan and create a high-quality presentation, freeing my mind well before the deadline. I ended up scoring an 85.

Other assignments, like essays, might be doable with textbook knowledge alone, but it’s generally recommended to wait until lectures cover the required topic.

By using this approach, balancing exams, coursework, and self-care becomes much more manageable.

However, not everyone has the luxury of preparing so far ahead. But don’t worry, it’s not too late to create a balance that works for you. Here’s how I managed during my first year, when I couldn’t prepare in advance:

First and most importantly, find a study method that works best for you; whether that’s flashcards, making PowerPoint presentations, reading notes, or watching YouTube videos. Experiment to find what clicks.

Next, create a study timetable as soon as possible. Make sure to schedule 20-minute breaks every 45 minutes to an hour, whichever interval works best for you. These breaks help you return to your work refreshed, instead of spending hours feeling drained and burned out. Personally, I preferred 20-minute breaks after every hour of studying, repeated six times a day. That added up to 30 hours of studying a week, as I didn't study on weekends.

Many students study far more than this and burn themselves out, which can turn studying into a dreaded, overwhelming task, making future studying even harder. That’s why prioritizing your mental health alongside your studies is so important: if you don’t, studying can quickly shift from being a rewarding, independent activity to a miserable experience.