Uni days are some of the best of our lives and there are so many opportunities to make the most of them. Joining a club or two, making new friends, catching up with old friends, going out on uni night, getting enough sleep, working a casual job to pay for all these… and of course going to class and doing your assignments.
Then there’s the #BetterInRed challenge, encouraging you to fit in 30 minutes of exercise, three times a week. We all know it’s good for us, but sometimes the idea of fitting an extra activity into our already busy lives can be a bit overwhelming. So how do we do it?
Combine activities
Perhaps you haven’t exercised in a few days, but then a friend calls you and wants to catch up. Instead of feeling guilty about choosing one over the other, why not combine the two? A brisk walk still counts as exercise, gives you plenty of time to chat, and it’s the perfect excuse to hang out in your active wear.
Work smarter, not harder
When you don’t have a lot of time, you don’t want to waste it! CSU offers some great online workshops that help you learn material more effectively, break down your assessment tasks into smaller chunks, and use your time efficiently. You can also make an appointment with an Academic Learning, Literacy and Numeracy (ALLaN) adviser to help you come up with a personalised study plan.
Prioritise
When you have assessments coming up for all your subjects at once, it can be tricky to know where to start. Make sure you read through what’s required for each assessment early, so there are no nasty surprises a couple of days before the due date! Consider things like the deadline, size and weighting of each assessment to decide what to tackle first.
Plan your time
It doesn’t matter if you use a hard copy diary, your phone calendar, a series of checklists or even a wall planner (here’s one we prepared earlier). The secret to staying organised is to know when and what you have on. Keeping track of deadlines and planning out your commitments helps you stay focused and avoid the last-minute panic. Make sure you allow time for exercise, social activities and just to relax, too.
Keep your eyes on the prize
Social media can chew up hours of time without you even noticing. Log out of your accounts and switch your phone off when you need to bunker down for a solid study session. Create checklists and work through tasks methodically. You might be amazed how quickly you can get things done when you stay focused – freeing up more time for what you really want to be doing!
There’ll be times when you have to make sacrifices, but with a little planning, you’ll be amazed how much you can fit into your uni days.
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#BetterInRed is all about getting the most out of university life by looking after your health and wellbeing. It is an exercise challenge running for eight weeks from Monday 6 March.
So, lace up, get out and challenge yourself to complete 30 minutes of exercise three times per week. Share your exercise using #BetterInRed and you could win some great prizes!
Find out more at social.csu
