Balancing act

Tips for juggling academics and extracurriculars

If you were highly involved in high school, or if you want to start getting involved at university, you may be wondering how to balance your academics and extracurriculars. If you’ve heard stories about the intense academic environment at UofT, you may be wondering if this balance is even possible. Although I’m still learning myself, here are a few tips that I wish I had known in first year:

Scheduling

Different schedules work best for different people. The first step is to understand yourself—what kind of schedule do you prefer? Some people like to have set arrangements for breaks, study sessions, and extracurriculars, while others prefer to make their plan just one day in advance. I’ve found that I like to select my top two priorities for the day in the morning, make a physical note, and then cross out a task once it is completed (or sometimes carry it over to the next day). It also helps to keep a paper copy of your schedule near your desk and an electronic one on your phone. If you keep your schedule tucked away in a binder, it may be easier at the end of the day to avoid planning what’s next.

It’s essential to have a monthly calendar as well. I like to keep my deadlines both on my phone and on paper, but it can be a hassle to cross-reference and to keep everything updated. I recommend that you experiment to find what works best for you. Keeping a monthly calendar is an essential part of balancing your academics and extracurriculars, because you can’t possibly keep every deadline in mind while trying to do your readings and problem sets on top of other responsibilities!

If you want more information about maintaining a schedule, you can book an appointment to see a Learning Strategist here.

Combining your interests

Try to combine your interests. For instance, when I was assigned a research report for a philosophy course, I decided to choose a topic related to a short story I was writing. See if you can accomplish personal and academic goals at the same time.

Pacing yourself

Consider exploring a few interests during your first few months, then slowly branching out. If you have many interests, it may be difficult to hold yourself back from joining multiple different clubs on campus, but try to pick one or two that really speak to you. It can be overwhelming having too many responsibilities at once, so give yourself time to adjust to university life and take it easy in the beginning.

Self-care

It’s important to pursue your interests, but it’s equally important to take care of yourself. Take some time for self-care every week, by meditating, practising yoga, drawing in the park, or spending time with friends.