The 5 Aspects of Student Life

It is no secret that society in recent years, in and out of education, has become increasingly competitive. Being a student at the University of North Carolina has taught me this faster than any other aspect of my life and I quickly realized I needed something to keep up. For me, this became a system of daily goals to complete which I like to call the 5 aspects in student life – mental health, physical health, academic endeavors, personal projects, and community involvement. While this system may not work for everyone, it has for me and is likely at least a step in the right direction to make your own personal method. 

Every day I aim to complete three daily goals. The first, an academic accomplishment. This being anything from finishing an assignment, studying, or learning something of personal interest. The next is a physical accomplishment, often consisting of simply hitting my split at the gym, and on off days I try yoga, sports, running, or at least a simple stretching session. Finally, a personal accomplishment. This means doing something every day that I genuinely enjoy, often a hobby or scheduled personal time. By having these goals, I can already fit in most aspects of student life, leaving only two to three aspects depending on what my personal accomplishment was for that day. 

There is no right way of fitting in all five aspects to your day: it solely depends on you as a person and what fits your way of life. Below are just a few of the many ways you can balance every aspect, all while avoiding burning out. 

1. Invest in a calendar system that works for you 

Since middle school, teachers have been preaching about getting an agenda, writing reminders in your calendar, or some variation of the sorts. For many years, I blew them off thinking – surely, I could remember it all. To no surprise at all, I couldn’t. And once again the countless teachers which barked this into my ear were right.  

About mid-way through high school, I invested in a $5 agenda. To be honest, I barely wrote in it to start. I would use it on and off for the years entirety and start again the next. Each year I used it more consistently and began to forget less. Now, I use a mix of my phone calendar and an agenda and rarely forget a thing in my never-ending schedule. Life is busy and no one is expected to remember everything, but you are expected figure a way to make it work. So, invest in a calendar, whether that be an app or physical notebook, or the yearly ‘hot fire fighter’ edition that you hang on your wall - get a calendar.  

2. Make lists 

The typical ‘to-do list’ is a staple in most people’s lives and if you open my notes app right now you will see countless lists of random things. I don’t write a to-do list every day, but I know many people who do. They stick them to their laptops or have specified journals to use for reminders and goals for the day. This section is very similar to the previous – use something to help you remember and organize your daily activities. From a grocery list to chores to assignments due that night, a list is easy, convenient, and works to optimize your time. 

3. Kill two birds with one stone 

Five daily goals may not seem like a lot to do in a day, but when we juggle these with required classes, eating, sleeping, and simply time to ourselves, the day seems to lack enough hours, and you, enough energy. The common phrase “kill two birds with one stone” has been used in a myriad of ways, and here is no different. Despite many claiming the impossibility to multi-task, if you can complete two goals with one action – why wouldn’t you? A personal project may include community involvement or physical accomplishments may be how you benefit your mental health for the day. While over time you still want to differentiate the five, your day to day might not be so cut dry.

4. Learn when to say no 

‘FOMO’ (aka ‘fear of missing out’) seems to be a growing disease in our world today, an issue I, myself seem to face. When we see the people around us joining countless clubs or going out, we yearn for the same experiences, and due to this when people ask if we want to join, it's natural to default to a ‘yes’. This simple, three letter word comes out more than we need it to and when it doesn’t, we often feel guilty or left out, even when we shouldn’t. Instead of saying yes, we should be doing something we genuinely enjoy or need to accomplish. Instead of helping your friend with their work, you should be completing your own. Instead of going out every weekend, you should be getting rest. Instead of joining a club your friend is in, you should be pursuing your own interests. The list goes on. We are built to believe that saying no is selfish or boring, but these expectations are unrealistic when trying to balance the world around you. As soon as you learn how and when to say no, your life actually becomes your own. 

5. Develop your own personal system 

While above are just a couple strategies that you can incorporate into balancing your life, they all filter into one main idea – building your own system. At the end of the day, my exact strategies will not work for you as they do for me, and vice versa. As human-beings in this world, we are different, we think and learn in a variety of ways, and staying organized has countless covers to its face. While sourcing inspiration from others is always an amazing place to start. When it comes down to it you will have to figure out what works for you, even when unique from everyone else around you. 

6. Stick to the Routine 

None of this will matter if you don’t stick with it. Whatever system you create to help keep your life on track won’t matter if you’re constantly changing or straying from its base. When you choose a lifestyle, when you are dedicated to balancing your life to become the best person you can – it no longer becomes just an option, it is your new every day, your new way of life. This point is the most important, but by far the hardest. Every day when you get up choose to stick to your system, to do every daily goal, and while sometimes this means missing out, by the end you will have formed a way to make your life – yours. 

In a society where we are expected to do it all, figuring out how often seems impossible. There is no one way to keep up no secret that works for us all – simply trial and error, and knowing what works for the individual mechanics of your mind. Here, I have broken our worlds down into five aspects - mental health, physical health, academic endeavors, personal projects, and community involvement – while giving a slew of strategies and systems with commonly successful outcomes. However, I am no expert in this and am still learning how alongside you. If you were to take the subject matter of this post and continue searching for ideas outside of this, you will find endless suggestions, and I urge you to look; eventually you are bound to find one that works for you.