4 Relatable Student Woes & How To Tackle Them

By Diyanah Syafiqah

Being a university student can be tough sometimes. We've rounded up some of the common problems you might face as you start to adjust to #UniLife and tips to overcome them:

#Time Management

Have you ever caught yourself blurting out “so little time, so much to do”?

Firstly, it helps to have a master list of everything you want to accomplish for the week. This can include your assignments, social outings or even getting a haircut.

The final list may appear daunting at first but it will seem less so when you start to carve out specific time blocks for each activity. The most important part of this process is to be realistic about what you can achieve each day.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll soon find time for catch-up sessions with your friends, workouts and even binge-watching the latest Netflix series - without guilt.

#Procrastination
Tim Urban, Founder and Writer of Wait But Why, reckons the mind of a procrastinator looks a lot like this:


Illustration Credit: Tim Urban

There exists a Rational Decision-Maker which knows that it's a good idea to start on your essay early while the Instant Gratification Monkey rationalises that watching hilarious Tik Tok videos is much more fun instead. 

But the next time you feel like putting off an assignment (we know there will be a next time), try this 5-minute hack that Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram, does to beat his procrastination tendencies! Before you begin your task, set the timer to five minutes and give yourself the option to discontinue when it rings. When that happens, you'll highly likely want to carry on so as to not disrupt your flow.

#Money Management
Khalid's song “Young, Dumb & Broke” may be the anthem for many students but it doesn't have to be applicable to you. There are plenty of expense tracker apps available to help you manage your expenses better such as Spendee and Wally.

Besides keeping track of your expenditure, take heed of these golden advices that will stretch your tight student budget further:

• Never go grocery shopping when you're hungry
• Bring along your SIM student card when you go shopping and leverage on the various student discounts available!
• Sell your old items on Carousell

#Sleep Deprivation
Do you count down to the weekend just so you can get a little more shut-eye? You're not alone.

In a study conducted by Wakefield Research in 2018, the biggest weekend sleepers are the millennials aged 22 to 27. 64 per cent of them said they could definitely use more sleep.

The lack of sleep and poor sleep quality can affect your ability to grasp new information and puts you at a risk of developing health problems like depression or even heart attack. To combat this issue, here are some tips put together by Mind Care Clinic, Singapore:


Photo Credit: Mind Care Clinic, Singapore

#UniLife can be the best days of your lives when you develop smart and practical ways to overcome these common student woes. Look out for more student and campus tips by SIM Originals!