Students often find it challenging to find a balance between their social and academic life. This is when most of their assignments are left untouched, and they are consumed by panic. Most students are smart enough to take study help to restore balance. For others, it is a big fat test to manage self-discipline. In a study of 2019, it was found that an average of 46% of the children in the United States plays video games daily. These are basically teenagers ranging from 13-15 years of age.
As a student, you might feel that your school and university days is the time to indulge in games. However, it comes with its own sets of responsibilities. When you are too engrossed in games that can be entertaining and time-consuming, it becomes a challenge to keep up with your academics. In the United Kingdom in 2018, it was seen that students between the age of 12-15 spend nearly 14 hours a week playing just video games. However, in 2019, this saw a considerable decline standing at 11.6 hours per week.
Video games are fun, but it becomes a problem when spending endless hours in front of your screen. This is when all your essential tasks go for a toss. Taking study help online for example doing a assignment or taking essay help online is one way you can manage your time, but that is not enough. To that end, here are 5 tips that will help you overcome this obstacle.
5 Quick Tips for Gamers Who Find It Hard to Study
- Time management is the key
As a student, you are constantly haunted by projects, tasks and assignments that can adversely affect other aspects of your life. Therefore, you need to allocate the necessary time for your academic activities to have enough free time for leisure. However, this is not always an easy job as video games are addicting.
Students often play games with the mindset ‘Just one more level, and I will stop’. However, this mindset only hinders your productivity and throws you into an endless loop of procrastination. Seeing all these challenges, it becomes indispensable to create a schedule. Maintain a to-do list and make a list for the entire week. Mention your assignments, deadlines, study time, gaming time, leisure activities etc. If you still have issues boosting your productivity, you can look for online study help services or use time management apps to organize your life.
- Set your priorities in order
It is easy to create a schedule and list everything that you need to do. But the trouble is following it. After you have written the tasks you have, you need to determine which tasks should take precedence to get your priorities straight and manage your time. This will help you decide whether or not you need to spend time gaming or studying. For example, if your finals are coming up or your assignment deadline is approaching, it is best to put your games on hold.
Moreover, setting your priorities also requires you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. This will let you understand which tasks are worth spending time on and which need external help. For example, if you have pending essay assignments, you may have been procrastinating. In such cases, you can reach out to experts saying, “I need a study helper”.
- Learn when you need to stop
When you get the hang of playing, it is not easy to resist stopping. Each level is enticing, and you often feel it will not hurt to play one more level. However, this mindset can ruin your entire day’s plan. Moreover, this is mainly why you find it challenging to balance your gaming and study life. Snapping out of this will not be demanding as you already have a set plan. All you need to do is drive yourself to follow it.
Additionally, if you lose track of time playing video games, an alarm can be your greatest ally. Set your alarm to buzz off when you want to exit your game mode. Instead of hitting the snooze button, make a conscious effort to stop and get yourself engaged in other necessary activities. For example, try meditating to clear your mind and boost your concentration level.
- Try productive video games
There is a common misconception that video games are always harmful. However, this is not the case at all. Most video games are created to enhance several skills in people. It can improve the cognitive, social and problem-solving skills of a person. For example, several strategy games trick your brain into strategizing and planning your resources and logistics.
You also have first-person shooter games that boost your hand-eye coordination. These games train your brain to interpret situations and deliver relevant responses. As a result, you can think fast and make accurate decisions even under stressful circumstances. In addition, it enhances your reasoning, perception, memory and spatial recognition skills. Therefore, it’s all up to you whether you want to waste your hours sitting or try to refine some skills.
- Move around
As a student, you tend to spend long hours studying, writing assignments and gaming. This treats your body to a sedentary lifestyle that can have adverse effects on your health. It can cause obesity, cardiovascular diseases and even depression and anxiety. Therefore, to free your body and mind and from an illness, you need to exercise more.
After long hours of sitting, try to move around and relax your muscles and brain. Your brain also gets tired with the prolonged hours of generating ideas and establishing strategies. This is why you need to recharge by taking short breaks.
Final Takeaway
Gaming is not damaging unless you are playing it in excess. Therefore, follow these tips to play games as a hobby rather than an obsession. These tips will create a perfect equilibrium, and you will not have to compromise one for the sake of the other.
