Great question, and thanks for sharing your own strategies!
- Getting organized early is a big one for me. I have a really intense school binder setup with information listed redundantly throughout and on a wall calendar. I also download/buy/photocopy all the readings and put them in folders in my dropbox, organized by class and week.
- Prioritizing homework over going out, and giving myself permission to decline invitations in order to protect my mental energy.
- Reading for fun, not just cramming school reading.
- Letting myself have time off when I'm mentally exhausted, by watching tv or drawing or listening to podcasts.
- Joining a choir. I love to sing, and it's actually really good for you—there are studies that back me up on this! I took a one-credit choir course each term my last year of undergrad (except the semester in Ghana, when I took a dance course).
Thank you for these! I was in several choirs before becoming a mom, now it's a struggle :(.
I love that you give yourself permission to decline things, including homework, to balance that mental load ❤️.