Balancing Study and Social Life at University

Entrepreneur Spencer Schar worked full-time while earning his master’s degree, averaging a 3.85 GPA for the two years. This article will provide tips and pointers to help students achieve a healthy balance between their academic pursuits and their personal life.

The first thing students need to consider is their academic and personal goals, identifying their biggest priorities and allocating time accordingly. Following this strategy will help students to achieve both academically and in their personal life, enabling them to have fun and maintain a fulfilling life without sacrificing academic excellence.

It is also important for students to create a schedule to help them manage their time effectively, developing a well-organized routine to ensure they set aside sufficient time for studying and to avoid activities crumbling into each other. Time management is a skill that all students need to master, enabling them to break down tasks into actionable steps, set deadlines, and avoid procrastination. For those who struggle to achieve this by themselves, there are a variety of different digital productivity tools available, including time trackers, to-do lists, and mind mapping tools to help students increase their productivity.

Many students underestimate the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, eating clean, getting enough rest, and exercising regularly can all have a huge impact on an individual’s academic and personal success. It is important to avoid excessive intake of sugar and caffeine, as these can affect sleep patterns, and drink enough water and eat healthy food to boost concentration and enhance overall productivity.

Students need to take care to avoid getting overwhelmed and putting themselves at risk of burnout by learning to say no when they find their diary getting too full. It is important for students to establish and communicate boundaries with friends, classmates, and family, ensuring that everyone understands and respects their need for time and personal space.

It may seem counterintuitive to get a part-time job, with many students assuming that this added responsibility will simply eat into their academic and personal time. Nevertheless, getting a part-time job can help students to organize their time more effectively, as well as offering the added bonus of a reliable income stream.

For everyone, including students, spending time with loved ones is crucial to maintaining emotional wellbeing. It is important to connect with others through real-life interactions rather than spending all day looking at screens. Social activities improve mood, which in turn will have a positive impact on the student’s studies. In addition, while planning out their time, it is also important for students to set aside some well-earned “me time”, enabling them to indulge in hobbies and activities that are important to them.

What Is Technostress?

 

As an entrepreneur, Spencer Schar will recognize all too well the importance of achieving a healthy work-life balance. This article will look at technostress, exploring the impact that increasingly digitized workplaces can have on the mental health of employees.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of common mental health conditions rose by 25% globally and has not abated since pandemic measures eased, a report from HR Grapevine reveals. With more employees than ever before equipped with laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, workers are connected at all hours of the day and night, including holidays and weekends. According to HR Grapevine’s research, 47% of UK employees cite complications at work or technology issues as having a negative impact on their mental health.

Coined by Craig Brod in his 1984 book Techno Stress: The Human Cost of The Computer Revolution, technostress is a state triggered by a computerized workplace that negatively impacts employees, altering workers’ wellbeing and attitudes. Brod defined the condition as a modern disease of adaption, attributing it to an inability to cope with new computer technologies in a healthy manner. In his book, Craig Brod explains that technostress manifests itself as a constant struggle to catch up and adapt to a computerized society that transforms people into a machine-like state.

Almost 40 years on from Brod’s book, which was written at a time when computer technology was increasingly being integrated into workforces around the world, technostress remains a pernicious threat to the productivity, wellbeing, and health of employees.

Technostress manifests itself in five key ways:

1.     Techno-invasion, with smart devices making employees available 24/7, blurring the lines between home and work.

2.     Techno-overload, with technological advancements culminating in a constant stream of information that can be overwhelming.

3.     Techno-complexity, with employees pressured to sign up to complex new systems and platforms they may struggle with.

4.     Tech-uncertainty, with some employees left overwhelmed by frequent tech upgrades.

5.     Tech-insecurity, leaving workers feeling anxious and even in fear of losing their jobs to AI-driven tools.

All of these different types of technostress can result in mental and even physical health symptoms that undermine productivity. As workplaces around the world become ever more demanding, HR directors are becoming increasingly concerned about the consequences of an “always on” lifestyle, with employees glued to their digital devices. Technostress is becoming more and more common as a direct result of reliance on technology, and the onus is increasing falling on the employer to help shield workers from the negative effects of technostress.