2nd May 2022

How to stay organised as a student side-hustler! Top organisation tips 💪

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Our recent partner ‘Girls in Marketing‘ share their top tips for how to navigate student life when you’re managing your own side-hustle, and how to stay calm as a student during the pandemic.

Missed our recent career webinar with Olivia, founder of Girls in Marketing?

Catch up on the webinar below for some great tips on how to land a career in Marketing and Advertising!

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Top organisation tips for students:

My friends and I used to joke that I popped out of the womb as a woman in her mid-forties with a work ethic that didn’t quit.

I have absolutely no problem choosing to stay in on a Friday night cleaning all the drain plugs in my house with soda crystals and white vinegar – thanks Mrs Hinch.

Like many students, I began my side-hustle lifestyle working in hospitality and every so often, taking a break to cry inside the walk-in freezer. (Desperate times call for desperate measures.)

During this time, I was surrounded by hard-working hustlers.

We relentlessly worked until the early hours of the morning, closed down the pubs and then woke up each morning to do it all over again. Black coffee and restaurant gossip pumped through our veins. Uni. Work. Pub. Repeat.

Day in, day out. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and I was furloughed from my job did I realise I was suffering from serious burnout.

According to the Office of National Statistics, 57% of students who participated reported worsening mental health and well-being during the Autumn term of 2020.

It comes as no surprise that due to the pressures of working, writing assignments, carrying out job searches and coping with the tragedies of the pandemic, students everywhere were – and still are – facing a difficult time.

In this blog, I’m going to share some of the things you can do in order to avoid burnout and achieve the ultimate work-life balance as a student.

An organised schedule just hits different.

There is nothing worse than double-booking yourself or feeling like you’re behind on all your assignments.

Take the time to write down all your upcoming deadlines, due dates and events.

It’s so important you’re aware of how much time you have to tick things off your to-do list. (Wow, that was a lot of T’s in one sentence.)

Also, Google “calendar blocking”. It will blow your mind and level up your time management game.
Try asking yourself one question: “Does this thing I’m doing cause me more stress than joy?”

If it does, then ditch it.

About a year ago, I asked myself this same question.

It led me to quit my job in hospitality and enter a whole new world of opportunity that actually aligned with my values.

(Which means my energy is well spent!)

Freelancing as a PR & Comms Coordinator for Girls in Marketing makes me feel that I’m truly making a difference in the digital world.

As students, it’s so easy to take on extra projects because we feel we should be ahead of the game.

Get that internship. Volunteer for this charity. Complete that online course. Apply for more jobs. Begin a passion project.

In actual fact, the worst thing you can do is invest your time and energy is something that doesn’t serve your soul.

Assess what’s important to you and select specific goals.

What realistic steps do you need to take next in order to reach those goals? Can something on your to-do list be sacrificed if it doesn’t feed your dreams?
If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a sucker for anything that will keep me accountable and help me prioritise tasks.

Basically, I owe my life to Trello, Asana and Google sheets. *Bows down*
I’m a firm believer that a simple slice of buttered toast is the answer to some of life’s largest problems.

Sit down with a cuppa, take a breath and let your body return to its equilibrium.

As Matt Haig says, “Continually looking for the meaning of life is like looking for the meaning of toast. It is sometimes better just to eat the toast.”

Allow yourself the time to rest and remember you’re not supposed to have everything figured out yet.
You know that ‘spin and drain’ function on a washing machine?

Yeah. Well, that’s pretty much what burnout feels like. (Stay with me here.) Stress survives in unbroken patterns and never-ending cycles.

If you choose to keep spinning and spinning without a break, you will rinse every ounce of energy from your body. This is when something needs to shift.

If you feel yourself spinning, don’t be afraid to change the cycle. Protect your worth and say no to things. Quit the job that doesn’t make you happy. Cut things off your to-do list. Do something else that might bring new opportunities instead. Take the leap. Seriously, just close your eyes and jump