When you’re in uni, you tend to be surrounded by two types of people: those who are constantly on that grind, and those who wake up at midday for a 1pm class.

Sometimes it’s tough to figure out where you fall on that spectrum. Sure, there are times where you’re the perfect workaholic. But mostly, you just want to sit at home with copious amounts of junk food and binge Netflix.

Believe it or not, there is a way to be both. You can kick ass and achieve your goals while still having time to laze about in bed.

Re-Frame Your Idea Of Success 

The workplace is becoming increasingly diverse, and with that comes the reality that there’s more than one pathway to success. There is more than one way to have your ambitions realised, and sometimes you can do so without the 9-5 grind.

You are still capable of reaping results without sacrificing your down time, so disconnecting yourself from the idea that success comes at the price of everything else can help you feel content and help get where you want to go on your terms. 

Learn How You Work Best

One way to balance between wanting to be on that grind and wanting to be on the couch is to know how, and when, you work best. We’re all wired differently, so there may be certain times of the day, environments or states of mind in which you get the most work done. It’s in your best interest to know what combination of circumstances gets you the most productive, so feel free to experiment.

If you’re more of a night owl, you can balance staying up late with treating yourself to a sleep in. If you work better in the morning, you can make it a ritual by treating yourself to a coffee and good breakfast. Need quiet? Go to the library. Bit of background noise? Cafe. The list goes on.

If you tailor your work to your strengths, you’ll be able to use your energy most efficiently, while still allowing yourself to chill when your body and mind needs it.

Hold Yourself Accountable

Any balancing act involves constant maintenance, so it’s important to be accountable for any slip ups. If you find yourself indulging a bit too much or overworking, make sure you take action to bring yourself back into your routines. You can keep yourself on track by either being on top of yourself, or asking a friend to whip you into shape.

Whatever method, creating consequences for any mess ups is essential.

Set Smaller Goals 

One way to make huge, insurmountable goals manageable is to break them up into smaller, achievable steps. Be as pedantic as possible. Spitting up your goals like this can make otherwise huge tasks look that more possible. Plus, smaller tasks means it feels like you’ve achieve more, which then makes you want to do more, and the cycle continues until you look back and realise how far you’ve come.

It just takes a single step, and then a step in front of the other, to get moving.

If you put the work in, you can absolutely have the best of both worlds. By making small changes, you are able to realise your ambitions while still having time to lounge about when you need it. Like all good things, it takes work but it is so worth it.