Four tips for balancing a relationship with schoolwork

By Lady Marmalade, September 20 2018 —

Being a university student can make it feel like you don’t have a whole lot of free time to foster the relationships in your social, work and family lives. A significant other adds another ball to juggle. If you’re someone who tends to prioritize your relationship over all else, your school work can suffer. But if you’re the person who prioritizes schoolwork over all else, the opposite might be true. Here are a few tips on making sure your studies and romance are in perfect balance.

Your phone is your friend:

Obviously, the best way to manage your relationship and your studies is to kill two birds with one stone and study together. But time is a scarce commodity and that might not always be possible. Fret not — with the technology we have in our pockets, there’s no reason that you can’t stay in touch with the person you’re into, even if you can’t see them in person. Texting throughout the day when you can’t see each other can make a world of difference in how close you feel to your partner. Making time for a 20-minute phone call as a study break is a great way to give yourself a break from your work. It also gives you the opportunity to check in with your sweetie and hear about their day. If you’re looking to spice things up, try a FaceTime study date if you and your lover can’t be in the same room. Just have a FaceTime call in the background of your study session. It lets you look lovingly at your partner without sacrificing a minute of precious exam prep. And that’s really what it’s all about.

Whip out your day planner:

Even though it doesn’t sound sexy or spontaneous, balancing your school and relationship is all about your sweet, sweet schedule. The same way you plan for tests and upcoming assignments, you need to pencil in dates and time with your partner. Take a few minutes at the beginning of the week to compare schedules and find a couple times that you can prioritize each other. This way, you can plan your week ahead to see what needs to get done to have a guilt-free hang-out. I know that it’s not the most exciting way to see your lover, but trust me, when your schedules get hectic, you’ll be glad you’ve committed to some much needed down-time with the one who makes you happy.

Aim for the moon:

Setting academic goals is important in order to get where you need to go with your college career. If you also want to have success in a relationship, you’ll need to set aside a few minutes and think about what goals need to be set for you to feel satisfied. If you know that in order for you to feel content and satisfied in a relationship, you need to see your partner at least twice a week, including one sleepover (or bone-sesh), then you need to find a way to make that happen. If you need more or less from a partner, then be honest with yourself about what you specifically need and make that a priority.

Communicate:

Once you’ve had the opportunity to do some self-reflection about what you need as a time commitment in a relationship, you need to sit down with your partner and understand their needs as well. Finding a common ground about what you both need is the only way to ensure that both parties feel like their needs are taken care of. Both you and your partner also need to make sure that you’re checking in with yourselves as time goes on, making sure that if your needs change, you make it accordingly. Communication is the best way to ensure success in your relationship, because as long as you are both on the same page, you can find success and balance with school work.

Good luck out there! And remember, a high GPA may get you on the Dean’s List, but the dean won’t hold you at night.