Your main takeaways from this section should be:
- Neglecting sleep in order to study will be detrimental to your mental health, physical health, and your academic success in the long run (you’ll do better with a good night’s sleep rather than that extra bit of cramming! Check out this awesome article about the relationship between good sleep and academic performance!).
- It is entirely possible to sleep lots in EngSci and many students sleep eight or more hours a night.
- If you manage your time and prioritize your tasks, getting enough sleep can be easy.
- Utilize available university resources (e.g. the Learning Strategist) to help you improve time management skills and learn how you study best.
That being said, this is also a great opportunity to talk about good habits, managing your time, and ways you can keep your precious sleep intact.
Let’s start by looking at where your time will be spent in EngSci. In 2022-2023, between first and second semester, EngSci students had an average of 6.5 hours of class per weekday. This includes lectures, tutorials and labs each weekday.
Let’s assume you’ll need an hour to get ready and have breakfast every morning, an hour to eat lunch, and an hour for dinner. Add an extra hour for commute.
(Sidenote: don’t compromise on eating in order to study, either. Nourishing your body is important and will give you the energy you need to keep up with your busy schedule!)
Finally, factor in an additional 3-5 hours for self-directed studying on weekdays. This covers learning the material, completing labs and assignments, and preparing for midterms. Note that this is an estimate: it varies wildly depending on the day or week.
Adding this all up at the busiest estimate we get 15.5 total hours a day spent on classes, eating, getting ready, and studying. That leaves you 8.5 hours every day at least for sleeping. This also doesn’t account for weekends where you’ll have extra time for relaxing, self-care, getting involved in clubs, sports, or design teams, hanging out with friends, and anything else you’d like to do.
The key is to prioritize! Prioritizing and managing your time will help you avoid late nights and last-minute studying, which often come at the expense of sleep. Here are some tips on time management that we found helpful in first year:
- Block off time for breaks, social time, and sleep in your schedule. If you don’t schedule it in, chances are you won’t get to it.
- Know when to leave something for later and move on to the next task. In high school, many of us were used to pouring time into a challenging task until we finished it. In EngSci, you will not have that much time. If you’re struggling to finish your calculus problems, you might want to meet with your ESC194 TA the next day and move on to the CIV102 problem set. This will save you time in the long run, and you will likely learn better, too.
- When you do get blocks of free time (like at the start of a semester or right after some midterms), balance relaxing with working ahead. You may be tempted to leave off studying for a few days if you have little due that week, but then you may have to work non-stop later. Balance your work and fun each day and you will find a happy medium. In fact, an article punished by John’s Hopkins University on school-life balance states: ”School-life balance is important for optimal academic functioning.” We highly recommend learning to pace yourself if you want a good school-life balance and healthy sleep habits.
Your life will be busy, but you should (and can) set aside time for sleeping. Tell yourself that this time is non-negotiable. Set up a sleep routine and stick to it. This will ensure you are getting enough sleep, i.e., 7-9 hours per night. Here are some tips that can help with this:
- Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, regardless of what time you have class the next day. Our bodies are wired to work on routines and schedules, so this is very important. It will help you feel more rested and productive.
- Wake up at a reasonable time on weekends. You might be tempted to sleep in, but a few more waking hours in the morning can help you avoid staying up late on a Sunday night.
- Account for wind-down time. Most people are unable to switch from studying to sleeping in just a few minutes, especially if they are stressed. Your mind and body need time to calm down before you can drift off to sleep, so make sure you build that wind-down time into your schedule and sleep routine. Otherwise, you will be promising yourself eight hours of sleep and getting less, every time.
- Stay active and exercise. Burning off energy during the day by working out, playing sports, or just going for walks will help to keep your sleep schedule regular and consistent. Try getting involved in one of our intramural or varsity level sports, or go out and use one of the many athletic facilities on campus.
Of course, all this is easier said than done. We would be lying if we said we had it all figured out ourselves. Setting up a sleep routine takes time and practice, but if you start early, chances are you’ll succeed early, too! Try it out, iterate, improve – just like with everything else in EngSci. You can also talk to and learn from your fellow EngScis. There are lots more lessons, tips, and strategies upper-year students (such as GEARS mentors) have learned and are willing to share with you to help make your time in EngSci just a little bit easier.
If you are struggling to maintain a good sleep schedule or manage your time, you can reach out to your Academic Advisor or the Engineering Learning Strategist through the engineering portal website. U of T Student Life also has some resources that may be of interest.