As a new university student, one of the biggest challenges I face is balancing my studies with my career development. By career development, I mean everything from attending insight days to completing internship applications, taking tests, preparing for interviews, video calls, and pretty much anything else that’s part of the journey toward my future career.
With Christmas approaching, we all have plenty of assignments due, making life busier than usual. Finding time for career-related tasks and events can feel overwhelming. Writing this article is as much about helping myself as it is about helping Finsights readers. So, without further ado, here are some tips to help balance university life with career development.
1. Create a Schedule
There are 168 hours in a week. If you allocate:
40 hours to university work (probably more than most will need), 56 hours to sleep, 32 hours to socialising with friends, you’re still left with 40 hours. Identify how many of those hours you want to devote to career development and block them into your schedule. Plan ahead and set this time aside before your head hits the pillow each night.
Additionally, consider using to-do lists, which are one of my personal favourites. They help you keep track of tasks and ensure you get through a certain number of items each day.
2. Set Goals
Many people, including myself, sometimes avoid setting goals because they worry about falling short of them. However, setting goals is invaluable for breaking down bigger challenges into smaller, more manageable steps.
To be effective, your goals should:
Be attainable.
Be written down.
Have a time limit.
Whether your goals are about finishing an internship application or revising for an important test, clear and actionable goals help maintain focus.
3. Write a Power Statement
This is a concept I only recently discovered. A power statement is a short paragraph that describes your best future. Essentially, it’s a way to visualise where you want to be and define what success looks like for you.
The idea is that by writing a power statement, you create a motivational tool that helps you stay focused on your end goal. Personally, I’m still figuring out whether this technique works for me - but why not try it out for yourself?
4. Stay Motivated
While the steps above can indirectly help with motivation, there are other techniques you can use to stay on track:
Reward Yourself: Give yourself small incentives, like watching an episode of your favourite show or ordering a takeaway. Rewards create a “light at the end of the tunnel” and something to look forward to.
Stay Connected: Surround yourself with the right group of people—friends or mentors—who encourage and motivate you to keep pursuing your goals. A good support system can make all the difference.
These are a few tips I’ve been experimenting with to balance university studies and finance related career development. Hopefully, they’ll help you as much as they’ve helped me. Give them a try and see what works best for you!
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