The brain needs to rest, and every break is a reward for your efforts
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Filipa Cunha
Managing the stress of academic life is a constant challenge, but one that can be overcome with organisation, discipline, and balance. One of the greatest allies against stress is time management. Knowing how to organise tasks allows you to study fewer hours, more efficiently, and achieve better results. This means learning to say “no” without guilt. Accepting every invitation or responsibility inevitably leads to overload.
Creating a routine brings clarity and discipline. Focus is the foundation of mindful productivity, where method ensures progress through dividing large tasks into smaller blocks, doing one thing at a time rather than trying to handle everything simultaneously.
Energy comes from physical and emotional balance: exercising, staying hydrated, eating healthily, and getting restorative sleep. The work environment also plays a role: organised, quiet, and distraction-free spaces enhance concentration, requiring the adoption of simple strategies such as using headphones or turning off phone notifications.
Another essential point is managing the use of social media. Spending less time observing other people’s lives and more time living your own brings well-being. Using free time to enjoy new experiences is a way to enrich personal development. It’s important to remember that academic life isn’t everything: spending time with friends and cultivating hobbies are essential. The brain needs rest, and every break is a reward for effort.
After all, lack of action leads to procrastination, and it is along the journey, more than at the destination, that we find true progress.
Filipa Cunha
Lecturer in the Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at Lusófona University – Lisbon University Centre
Source: Mais Superior
