{"id":3457,"date":"2018-06-30T16:03:03","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T15:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/copyright.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/?p=3457"},"modified":"2018-07-31T16:34:12","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T15:34:12","slug":"work-hard-play-often","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/engineering\/work-hard-play-often\/","title":{"rendered":"Work hard, play often?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hammocks in the library? Revision lectures in the pub? Sure, start-up culture and modern company values imply office ping-pong tournaments and free beer in the name of \u201cwork-life<\/strong> balance<\/strong>\u201d, but what does that magic buzzword mean\u2026 and should I care.<\/p>\n

For this blog post, I\u2019ve consulted some of my friends and colleagues on their methods of balancing work with play<\/em> and ensuring high performance without a cut to one\u2019s mental health. I\u2019ve found that some people are fully sold on ideas like \u201cno emails after 7pm<\/strong>\u201d, while others work when necessary, increasing workload closer to their deadlines.<\/p>\n

The most common complaint was feeling \u201coverworked<\/strong>\u201d, a sensation of high stress from studying too much and lack of time to pursue the things you care about. Work-induced migraines or other physical reactions to stress are not unheard of. Sadly, this is something that can relate to a lot myself. I used to struggle from stress and routinely found myself stuck in an endless guilt-loop as a result of procrastination and 12hr library sessions. While I\u2019ve learned to how to deal with this over the years, I looked to my friends for their solutions.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I love trying new skills, recently I went to a bee-keeping workshop to procrastinate away studying for the June exams.<\/p><\/div>\n

Performance and work-life balance:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Some of my (subjectively) highest-performing friends all reported \u201ctrying to work at 120% all the time\u201d<\/strong> and yet achieving happiness and balance. Their magic tips?<\/p>\n

Ensure a longer day to DO THE THINGS YOU LOVE by wasting less time. Yes, procrastination is difficult, but make it \u201cuseful procrastination\u201d<\/strong>. (This may sometimes require copious amounts of coffee and less sleep, of course).<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t enjoy preparing your lunch in the evening? Wake up earlier and cook it in the morning, so that you can play guitar for longer in the evening.<\/p>\n

Find yourself pointlessly scrolling through Instagram to pass the time? Become aware of it and force yourself to \u201cJUST DO SOMETHING\u201d <\/strong>value-adding, even just 10 push-ups.<\/p>\n

I personally found that many of my most successful friends don\u2019t actually struggle to find balance \u2013 they already have great control by having a schedule and constantly doing a variety of activities and social events that they love alongside work.<\/p>\n

Mental health:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

However, not everything is always as smooth on the road towards work-life balance. As a student, in particular in an engineering school, my reality resembles Dolly Parton\u2019s; working 9-to-5, what a way to make a livin\u2019. Actually, make that 9am-2am, if you want a 1st and a busy social life. Luckily, Loughborough hours are very good compared to other institutions, which definitely helps us top the charts in student satisfaction.<\/p>\n

One of my incredibly busy friends suggest using the NHS\u2019s 5 Steps to Wellbeing<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Connect<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Be active<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Take notice<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Keep learning<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. Give.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This can help you get the most satisfaction and \u201cfun<\/strong>\u201d out of your social activities and enabling yourself to be your best self. You may find that the quality of your non-work life is more important than purely the time you spend outside of work. Finally, I personally would suggest trying a free meditation app like Headspace, which can help you achieve calmness and re-adjust your mindset for the work-day in front of you.<\/p>\n

    My fellow blogger Charlie has published written a blog sharing his journey out of procrastination, you can check it out here<\/a>. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    Last year I had a ridiculous urge to travel and found myself on a cheap weekend break to Lisbon that was more than enough to get my mind off work!<\/p><\/div>\n

    How can the University help?<\/strong><\/h4>\n